Labor force participation rate in Maldives
Maldives: Labor force participation rate was 63.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate in Maldives, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Maldives recorded 63.5% for labor force participation rate in 2025.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Maldives peaked at 63.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 49.5%, in 1990.
Maldives ranks 79th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.5% | — |
| 1991 | 49.9% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 50.2% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 50.6% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 51.0% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 51.3% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 52.0% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 52.7% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 53.4% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 54.1% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 54.8% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 54.5% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 54.2% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 53.9% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 53.6% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 53.3% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 53.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 52.7% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 52.4% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 52.1% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 52.8% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 53.5% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 54.2% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 54.8% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 55.5% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 56.2% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 56.9% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 59.2% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 61.4% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 63.6% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 58.3% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 59.8% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 63.4% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 63.3% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 63.2% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 63.5% | +0.5% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 63.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60.5%, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 63.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 57.2%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.5% | 49.5% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.5% | 52.1% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.8% | 52.8% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.9% | 58.3% | 63.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More work & labour data for Maldives
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.3002 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4913 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1384 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.545 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 310.55 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 265.89 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 257.6 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 217.32 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 474.92 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Maldives?
- Labor force participation rate in Maldives was 63.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 63.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.5% in 1990.
- How does Maldives rank for labor force participation rate?
- Maldives ranks 79th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Maldives data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).