147 Maldives Tourism Statistics for 2026

How many tourists visit the Maldives each year?

Arrivals more than doubled between 2010 and 2019, collapsed in the 2020 pandemic year and passed the old peak in 2023. Each year since then has set a new record.

View data table

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives, 2010 to 2025, in millions.

Period	Value
2010	0.79m
2011	0.93m
2012	0.96m
2013	1.13m
2014	1.21m
2015	1.23m
2016	1.29m
2017	1.39m
2018	1.48m
2019	1.70m
2020	0.56m
2021	1.32m
2022	1.68m
2023	1.88m
2024	2.05m
2025	2.25m

• The pre-pandemic peak was 1,702,887 tourist arrivals in 2019. (MBS (World Tourism Day factsheet), Sep 2026)
• Arrivals reached 2,046,615 in 2024, up 8.9%, the first year above 2 million. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Arrivals rose 12.1% to 1,878,543 in 2023, the first year above the 2019 level. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• In 2022 arrivals rose 26.7% to 1,675,303, still just below 2019. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Arrivals more than doubled in 2021, up 138% to 1,321,937. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• In 2020 the count fell 67.4% to 555,494. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• The Maldives received about 792,000 tourists in 2010 and passed 1 million for the first time in 2013, with about 1,125,000. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)
• Arrivals grew 14.7% in 2019, the year before the pandemic. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)
• The 2006 count was about 602,000, so 2025 arrivals were more than three and a half times as high. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)

Arrivals count tourists entering the Maldives, so a person who visits twice counts twice. The figures are the Ministry of Tourism's. Years before 2020 come from the statistics office's compiled series, rounded to thousands; from 2020 they match the central bank's table. The comparisons with 2006 and 2019 are our calculations.

Where do the Maldives' visitors come from?

China and Russia are the two biggest markets, followed by the UK, Germany and Italy. Europe as a whole sends more than half of all tourists.

1. 1 China 329,110
2. 2 Russia 278,761
3. 3 United Kingdom 202,172
4. 4 Germany 167,822
5. 5 Italy 153,414
6. 6 India 131,625
7. 7 United States 66,443
8. 8 France 58,078
9. 9 Spain 55,489
10. 10 Switzerland 43,029

• Russia was second in 2025 with 278,761 arrivals, up 23.8%. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• The UK sent 202,172 tourists in 2025 (up 11.3%), Germany 167,822 (up 6.7%) and Italy 153,414 (up 5.3%). (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• India sent 131,625 tourists in 2025, almost the same as in 2024. Its count had fallen 37.5% in 2024, from 209,193 in 2023. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• India was the largest market in 2021, with 291,787 arrivals, and in 2022, with 241,382. In 2023 it led Russia by just 47 arrivals. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• China led in 2024 with 263,340 arrivals, ahead of Russia on 225,204. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Europe sent 1,331,470 tourists in 2025, 59.3% of the total, and Asia 660,296, or 29.4%. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• The Americas sent 104,625 tourists, the Middle East 82,558, Oceania 45,737 and Africa 21,830. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• US arrivals fell 4.6% to 66,443 in 2025, the third fall in a row, while Australian arrivals rose 17.5% to 42,073. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• France (58,078), Spain (55,489) and Switzerland (43,029) completed the top 10, behind the US. (MBS (World Tourism Day factsheet), Sep 2026)

Markets are by nationality, on the Ministry of Tourism's figures. China includes Hong Kong and Taiwan in these tables. The central bank lists nine markets separately; the statistics office's top 10 matches those counts and adds Spain and Switzerland. Regional shares are our calculations.

Are tourist numbers to the Maldives falling in 2026, and what is the target?

Yes. Arrivals rose strongly in January and February 2026, then fell sharply in March and April before moving back close to 2025 levels from May. China and Russia kept growing while the main Western markets fell, and the official forecast is now well below the government's target.

View data table

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives by month in 2026, January to September.

Period	Value
Jan	224,788
Feb	247,722
Mar	161,259
Apr	147,600
May	139,746
Jun	123,552
Jul	183,119
Aug	195,390
Sep	148,801

• February 2026 brought 247,722 arrivals, up 15.7%, the highest monthly count in the central bank's 2020-2026 table. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Arrivals fell 20.7% year on year in March 2026, to 161,259, and 25.6% in April, to 147,600. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• The Ministry of Finance said arrivals grew 10.2% in January and February 2026, helped by the new terminal at Velana and upgrades at Hanimaadhoo, and declined after the start of the Middle East conflict before returning to 2025 levels. (Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update), Oct 2026)
• Chinese arrivals rose 13.5% to 300,977 in January to September 2026, and Russian arrivals 14.9% to 229,236. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• UK arrivals fell 17.2% to 119,968, German arrivals 13.6% to 99,062 and Italian arrivals 12.9% to 98,112. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• India sent 90,706 tourists, down 4.3%. Australian arrivals rose 20.5%, while US arrivals fell by more than a fifth. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• By region, Europe sent 887,209 tourists, down 6.1%, and Asia 520,023, up 3.4%. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Middle East arrivals fell 19.6% to 52,240 and arrivals from the Americas 21.8% to 58,528, while Oceania rose 20.1% to 40,481. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• The 2026 target was set in the President's address of 5 February 2026, which also declared 2027 "Visit Maldives Year". (President's Office, Feb 2026)
• The 2025 target was 2.3 million arrivals, so the outturn fell about 53,500 short. (President's Office, Feb 2025)
• The Ministry of Finance's baseline forecast, published in October 2026, is 2,173,900 arrivals in 2026, 3.2% fewer than in 2025. (Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update), Oct 2026)
• Its baseline forecast rises to 2,277,700 in 2027 and 2,633,600 in 2029, and its optimistic scenario reaches 3,023,600 by 2029. (Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update), Oct 2026)
• The ministry's previous budget baseline had forecast 2,432,900 arrivals for 2026. (Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update), Oct 2026)

Monthly figures are the Ministry of Tourism's, from the central bank's latest release, and may be revised. The central bank's tables do not give reasons for changes; the explanation quoted is the Ministry of Finance's own. Middle East arrivals count nationals of the region, not travellers connecting through Gulf airports. Targets are political goals and the Ministry of Finance figures are forecasts, not official counts. The 2025 shortfall is our calculation.

How long do tourists stay in the Maldives?

About a week. Stays have got shorter every year since 2021, so bednights grew far more slowly than arrivals in 2025. Resorts take four in every five bednights.

• Resorts 10.97m
• Guesthouses 2.21m
• Safari vessels 0.28m
• Hotels 0.27m

• The average stay was 6.97 days in 2025, down from 7.38 days in 2024 and 8.80 days in 2021. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• Stays lengthened a little in January to September 2026, to 7.24 days from 6.94 days a year earlier. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• Bednights were 3.98 million in 2020 and 10.07 million in 2021, and reached 13.34 million in 2024. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• Before the pandemic stays were shorter: the average fell from 8.0 days in 2006 to a low of 5.7 days in 2015, and was 6.3 days in 2019. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)
• Resorts accounted for 10.97 million bednights in 2025, about 80%, and guesthouses 2.21 million, about 16%. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)
• Guesthouse bednights were 408,939 in 2020, so they grew more than fivefold by 2025. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)
• On the Ministry of Finance's adjusted series, which is used for the national accounts, bednights were 14.21 million in 2025. (Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update), Oct 2026)

Bednights are nights spent by tourists in resorts, guesthouses, hotels and safari vessels, on the Ministry of Tourism's count republished by the central bank. The Ministry of Finance adjusts that count with tax data for GDP, which gives a higher total; the two are separate series and are not compared here. Average stay is calculated from immigration data from August 2020, so earlier years are on a different basis. Shares and growth multiples are our calculations.

How much do tourists spend in the Maldives?

Tourist spending has grown much faster than arrivals since the pandemic and is now far above its 2019 level. The central bank expects only a small rise in 2026.

View data table

Tourism receipts in the Maldives, 2014 to 2025, in US$ billion.

Period	Value
2014	2.70bn
2015	2.57bn
2016	2.51bn
2017	2.74bn
2018	3.03bn
2019	3.16bn
2020	1.40bn
2021	3.51bn
2022	4.50bn
2023	4.23bn
2024	4.79bn
2025	5.57bn

• Receipts were US$4,786 million in 2024. They fell to US$4,230 million in 2023 from US$4,498 million in 2022, a year in which arrivals rose. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• Receipts were US$1,398 million in 2020 and US$3,508 million in 2021. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• Before the pandemic, receipts peaked at US$3,157 million in 2019, so 2025 was about 76% higher. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)
• Receipts were US$2,696 million in 2014, the first year in the series, and dipped to US$2,506 million in 2016. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)
• Receipts per tourist were about US$2,480 in 2025, up from about US$2,340 in 2024, on our calculation. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• Monthly receipts peaked at US$843.8 million in February 2026. (MMA (tourism indicators), Oct 2026)
• The central bank forecasts receipts of US$5,679 million in 2026, up 1.9%. (MMA (balance of payments), Oct 2026)
• Maldivians spent US$550 million on travel abroad in 2025, leaving a travel surplus of about US$5,021 million. (MMA (balance of payments), Oct 2026)

Receipts are the balance-of-payments travel credit. The central bank estimates them from tourism GST, green tax, duty-free sales, the airport development fee and, from 2022, departure tax, so they are not a visitor spending survey, and changes to those taxes affect the series. The 2025 figure is a revised estimate and the 2026 figure a forecast. Receipts per tourist and the travel surplus are our calculations.

What is tourism worth to the Maldives' economy?

Tourism is the largest sector of the economy by a wide margin, and travel brings in almost all of the country's export income. Its share of nominal GDP is still a little below the 2019 level.

View data table

Tourism's share of the Maldives' nominal GDP (at current prices), 2019 to 2025.

Period	Value
2019	21.6%
2020	10.4%
2021	19.8%
2022	21.8%
2023	18.6%
2024	20.3%
2025	20.3%

• At constant 2019 prices, tourism was 22.7% of GDP in 2025, and real GDP grew 6.3%. (MMA (GDP table), Oct 2026)
• Real tourism value added was MVR 24,365 million in 2025, up 8.3%, which the statistics office put down to more bednights. (MBS (annual GDP), Sep 2026)
• Wholesale and retail trade was the second-largest sector, with 8.1% of nominal GDP. (MBS (annual GDP), Sep 2026)
• Tourism's share of nominal GDP was 21.6% in 2019, 10.4% in 2020 and 18.6% in 2023. It peaked at 29.5% in 2007. (MBS (annual GDP tables), Sep 2026)
• Travel made up 89% of all exports of goods and services in 2025. (MMA (balance of payments), Oct 2026)
• Even so, the current account had a deficit of US$549 million in 2025, because goods imports were US$3,401 million. (MMA (balance of payments), Oct 2026)
• The Ministry of Finance forecasts tourism value added to fall 3.6% in real terms in 2026, and real GDP to grow 0.6%. (Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update), Oct 2026)
• Tourism businesses owed banks MVR 13,681 million at the end of 2025, 36% of all private-sector loans, up 14.2% in a year. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)

GDP shares measure tourism's own value added, mainly resorts, not knock-on effects in other industries. The share at current prices (nominal) and the share at constant 2019 prices (real) are different measures, and each is labelled. GDP estimates from 2021 use the Ministry of Finance's adjusted bednights. The export and loan shares are our calculations, and the 2026 figures are forecasts.

How much tax does tourism raise for the government?

Tourism GST is the government's biggest single source of revenue, and green tax income doubled in 2025 after new rates took effect in January. Resort lease rent and the airport service charge add more.

View data table

Tourism GST revenue, 2020 to 2026, in MVR billion. 2025 is a revised estimate and 2026 the approved budget.

Period	Value
2020	2.22bn
2021	5.25bn
2022	6.60bn
2023	8.74bn
2024	9.53bn
2025 (est.)	10.74bn
2026 (budget)	11.47bn

• Tourism GST is charged at 17%, against 8% for general GST. (Ministry of Finance (revenue policy), Nov 2026)
• Guests in guesthouses or hotels on inhabited islands with 50 or fewer registered rooms pay US$6 a night in green tax, and children under 2 are exempt. The money goes to the Maldives Green Fund. (Ministry of Finance (revenue policy), Nov 2026)
• Tourism GST brought in an estimated MVR 10,744 million in 2025, and the 2026 budget expects MVR 11,473 million. (MMA (government revenue), Jan 2026)
• Tourism GST raised MVR 2,220 million in 2020, MVR 5,248 million in 2021 and MVR 8,742 million in 2023. (MMA (government revenue), Jan 2026)
• Green tax revenue doubled to an estimated MVR 2,207 million in 2025, from MVR 1,081 million in 2024, and the 2026 budget expects MVR 2,395 million. (MMA (government revenue), Jan 2026)
• Resort lease rent brought in an estimated MVR 1,958 million in 2025, and the airport service charge MVR 1,899 million. (MMA (government revenue), Jan 2026)
• The statistics office's pocketbook records tourism revenue of MVR 16,512 million in 2025, against MVR 12,783 million in 2024 and MVR 7,797 million in 2019. (MBS (Statistical Pocketbook), Oct 2026)

Revenue figures are the Ministry of Finance's budget figures, republished by the central bank. 2024 is the latest year of actuals; 2025 is a revised estimate and 2026 the approved budget. The airport service charge is paid by every departing passenger, tourist or not. The pocketbook does not say what its tourism revenue line covers, so it is not added to the line items. Tax rates are as stated by the Ministry of Finance, and revenue shares are our calculations.

How many people work in Maldives tourism?

Resort jobs were at their highest recorded level at the end of 2022, the latest official count, but most resort staff are foreign workers and few are women.

• Foreign men 50%
• Maldivian men 39%
• Foreign women 8%
• Maldivian women 2%

• 55,874 people worked in tourist resorts at the end of 2022: 32,728 foreign (59%) and 23,146 Maldivian (41%). (MBS (resort employment survey), Sep 2024)
• Women held 11% of resort jobs, and Maldivian women 2%. (MBS (resort employment survey), Sep 2024)
• The 2014 census counted 27,828 resort employees, and a 2019 survey counted 44,954, 62% more. (MBS (resort employment survey), Jun 2020)
• Resorts employed 48,664 people in January 2020 and 35,887 in December 2020, when 140 resorts were open. (MBS (resort employment survey), Oct 2021)

Counts cover resort staff only, not guesthouses, hotels, safari vessels or transport. The 2019 to 2022 figures are survey estimates raised to all operating resorts (the 2022 survey covered 61 resorts), and 2014 is a census count, so the series is a guide only. No newer official count of tourism jobs was found.

Where do tourists stay in the Maldives?

Resorts on their own islands hold most of the beds, but guesthouses on inhabited islands are the fastest-growing part of the market. Most resorts and guesthouses are in the atolls closest to the main airport.

View data table

Registered tourist beds in the Maldives at the end of each year, 2019 to 2025, in thousands.

Period	Value
2019	51.4k
2020	52.1k
2021	57.1k
2022	60.6k
2023	62.6k
2024	65.3k
2025	68.7k

• 179 of the 186 registered resorts were operating at the end of 2025, against 164 registered in 2019. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Guesthouse beds rose from 9,753 in 2019 to 16,824 at the end of 2025, an increase of 7,071. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• There were 168 safari vessels with 3,356 beds and 16 hotels with 2,598 beds. Resorts made up only 14% of tourist establishments. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• 67,585 beds were in operation at the end of 2025, up from 63,336 a year earlier. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Resort beds almost doubled, from 23,487 in 2013 to 44,689 in 2024. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Malé Atoll (Kaafu) had 58 of the operating resorts in December 2025. Raa and South Ari had 17 each, Baa 16 and Lhaviyani 13. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Malé Atoll also had 222 guesthouses and North Ari 182. With South Ari (123) and the Greater Malé area (116), these four areas held about two-thirds of all guesthouses. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Thoddoo, in North Ari, has the most guesthouses of any island, 81, while Maafushi, in Malé Atoll, has the most guesthouse beds, 1,944 in 53 guesthouses. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Fuvahmulah has 28 guesthouses and no resorts, and Addu City, in the far south, has 3 resorts, 1 hotel and 20 guesthouses. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• In September 2026, 926 guesthouses with 16,806 beds and 165 safari vessels were operating. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)

Figures are the Ministry of Tourism's, republished in the statistics office's yearbook. Registered beds include places closed for renovation; beds in operation exclude them. Two yearbook tables give different resort-bed totals for 2025, so no 2025 resort-bed figure is shown. Atoll and island counts are operating establishments at the end of December 2025. Changes and the two-thirds share are our calculations.

How full are the Maldives' resorts and guesthouses?

Resorts fill about two-thirds of their beds over a year, guesthouses about two-fifths. Resort occupancy fell in 2025, as bed supply grew faster than bednights, and fell again in the first nine months of 2026.

View data table

Guesthouse bed occupancy by year, 2019 to 2025, excluding 2023.

Period	Value
2019	34%
2020	18%
2021	34%
2022	31%
2024	40%
2025	41%

• Resort bed occupancy averaged 68% in 2025, down from 72% in 2024. It was 74% in 2019 and 29% in 2020. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Hotels filled 33% of their beds in 2025, and safari vessels 24%. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Across all types of accommodation, 58.5% of beds were occupied in 2025, against 59.0% in 2024. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Resort occupancy averaged 64.4% in January to September 2026, against 68.1% a year earlier. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)
• Guesthouse occupancy was 40.9% in January to September 2026, up from 39.6%. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)
• Guesthouse bednights rose 18% in January to September 2026, to 1.834 million, while resort bednights fell 3%, to 7.901 million. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)
• Resort occupancy was 55.9% in April 2026, against 71.6% in April 2025. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)

Occupancy here is bed occupancy, bednights as a share of beds available, not room occupancy. Annual figures are the Ministry of Tourism's, from the yearbook, rounded to whole numbers; 2026 figures are the central bank's monthly republication and may be revised. 2023 is left out of the guesthouse chart because the figure for that year looks like a break in the data. Growth rates are our calculations.

How do visitors get to the Maldives and out to the islands?

Nearly all tourists fly into Velana International Airport near Malé, many of them on Gulf airlines, and many then take a seaplane or a domestic flight to their island. Seaplane transfers make up most of the flights at Velana.

1. 1 Emirates 348,668
2. 2 Qatar Airways 201,327
3. 3 SriLankan Airlines 191,468
4. 4 Etihad Airways 185,613
5. 5 IndiGo 174,813
6. 6 Singapore Airlines 171,019
7. 7 flydubai 153,011
8. 8 Aeroflot 143,832

• 2,699,225 international passengers arrived at Velana in 2025 and 2,667,333 departed. With 2,854,057 domestic passengers, the airport handled 8,220,615 in all. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2026)
• Velana handled 4,957,343 international passengers in 2024. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2025)
• Velana handled 4,527,906 international passengers in 2023. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Oct 2024)
• The airport recorded 249,045 aircraft movements in 2025: 34,808 international and 214,237 domestic, of which 187,523 were non-scheduled. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2026)
• Emirates carried the most passengers into Velana in 2025, 348,668 on 3,622 flights, ahead of Qatar Airways (201,327), SriLankan Airlines (191,468), Etihad (185,613) and IndiGo (174,813). (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Oct 2026)
• Seaplane operators made 1,728,500 passenger movements at Velana in 2025: Trans Maldivian Airways 1,270,901, Manta Air 297,877 and Island Aviation 159,722. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Oct 2026)
• Seaplane passenger movements at Velana were 1,570,862 in 2024. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2025)
• On domestic land-plane flights, Island Aviation brought 403,364 passengers into Velana, Manta Air 117,722 and Flyme 62,728. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Oct 2026)
• Gan International Airport, in Addu, handled 152,504 passengers in 2025, most of them on domestic flights. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2026)
• Dharavandhoo airport, in Baa, received 59,134 passengers in 2025, on our sum of the monthly figures. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2026)
• Velana's new Terminal 1 opened on 26 July 2025. The airport operator says it cost US$585 million and has five times the capacity of the building it replaced. (MACL, Nov 2026)
• The Noovilu seaplane terminal, opened with the new 3,400-metre runway in October 2022, can hold more than 55 floatplanes at once, the operator says. (MACL, Nov 2026)

Airport figures are from the Civil Aviation Authority, published in the statistics office's yearbook, each year from its own edition. They count passenger movements, including Maldivian residents and foreign workers, so they are not tourist counts, and direct transit passengers are left out. Seaplane totals are our sums of arrivals and departures; Trans Maldivian Airways is a seaplane operator, though the table does not label it as such. The share of movements and the airline ranking are our calculations. Terminal cost and capacity are the airport operator's own figures.

When is the Maldives busiest?

December to April is the high season, during the dry northeast monsoon. May, June and September are the quietest months, and a smaller peak comes in July and August, when more visitors arrive from East Asia.

View data table

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives by month, 2025.

Period	Value
Jan	214,863
Feb	214,091
Mar	203,468
Apr	198,322
May	135,614
Jun	141,772
Jul	186,738
Aug	192,058
Sep	149,563
Oct	190,445
Nov	195,127
Dec	224,455

• December was the busiest month of 2025, with 224,455 arrivals, and May the quietest, with 135,614, about 60% of the December figure. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Italian arrivals are strongly seasonal: 21,288 in December 2025, against 4,980 in May 2025. (MMA (tourist arrivals), Oct 2026)
• Arrivals from North East Asia peaked in July 2025, at 52,940, when European arrivals were 91,865, against 145,423 in February. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Resort occupancy peaked at 86.5% in February 2025 and was lowest in June, at 50.0%. May (54.0%) and September (55.5%) were also low. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Guesthouse occupancy swung from 63.1% in February 2025 to 14.8% in June. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Safari vessel occupancy fell to 7.4% in July 2025, from 38.5% in March. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• Tourists spent 1,399,715 bednights in January 2025 and 759,204 in June. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook), Jun 2026)
• January was Velana's busiest month for international arrivals in 2025, with 262,850 passengers. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation), Jul 2026)
• In February 2026, resort occupancy reached 83.6% and guesthouse occupancy 68.7%, the highest for guesthouses in the central bank's table. (MMA (indicators by establishment), Oct 2026)

Monthly arrivals, occupancy and bednights are the Ministry of Tourism's figures, from the central bank and the statistics office's yearbook. Arrivals by region count nationality. The yearbook's monthly bednights are an earlier release than the central bank's annual total and may differ slightly. Airport arrivals include residents. The December share is our calculation.

What is the weather like in the Maldives?

Warm all year, with a dry season from January to March and a wet southwest monsoon from mid-May to November. The south gets more rain than the north.

1. 1 Southern atolls 2,218 mm
2. 2 Central atolls 1,966 mm
3. 3 Northern atolls 1,779 mm

• The Meteorological Service describes the northeast monsoon, January to March, as the dry season and the southwest monsoon, mid-May to November, as the wet season. December and April are transition months. (Maldives Meteorological Service, Nov 2026)
• Average temperatures range from 25°C to 32°C, and the warmest period runs from March to the start of the southwest monsoon in mid-May. (Maldives Meteorological Service, Nov 2026)
• The Maldives averages 10 to 11 hours of sunshine a day in January, February and March, and 7 to 9 hours in other months. (Maldives Meteorological Service, Nov 2026)
• The highest temperature recorded in the Maldives is 36.0°C, at Kadhdhoo on 12 September 1991, and the lowest 18.2°C, at Hanimaadhoo on 23 December 2002. (Maldives Meteorological Service, Nov 2026)
• The heaviest rainfall recorded in 24 hours is 228 mm, at Addu City on 24 November 2015. (Maldives Meteorological Service, Nov 2026)
• In 2025, Malé recorded 2,753 hours of sunshine and 2,255 mm of rain, and Gan, in Addu, 2,783 hours of sunshine and 1,622 mm of rain. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, climate), Apr 2026)
• Malé's average daily high in 2025 was 31.9°C and its average daily low 26.8°C. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, climate), Apr 2026)

Seasons, ranges, records and the regional rainfall averages are as published by the Maldives Meteorological Service, which does not state the base period for the averages. The 2025 values are one year of observations from the Meteorological Service, published in the yearbook, and are not long-term averages.

What has happened to the Maldives' coral reefs?

Mass bleaching in 1998 and 2016 damaged reefs across the country, but national monitoring found that reefs showed a capacity to recover. The latest national report covers the years to 2021.

• After the 1998 mass bleaching, live coral cover fell to as low as 1%, from close to 50% before the event, and to about 2% on average across the country. (MMRI, 2022)
• In the 2016 bleaching event, over 70% of corals across various reefs bleached. Reefs in Addu and Vaavu were the least affected. (MMRI, 2022)
• The Maldives has an estimated 4,495 km² of reef area, home to over 248 coral species. (MMRI, 2022)
• By the end of 2021 the national monitoring network had 31 long-term sites in 10 regions: 16 set up in 1998, 12 in 2011 and 3 in 2021. (MMRI, 2022)

Figures are from the Maldives Marine Research Institute's 2022 report on its long-term monitoring sites, which covers 1998 to 2021 and draws on earlier surveys for the 1998 and 2016 figures. No official national figure for later bleaching was found, so none is given.

What do police figures show about the Maldives?

Police figures cover the whole country and do not separate tourists. Most cases are logged in Malé, the capital, and the resort atolls log few.

View data table

Cases logged by the Maldives Police Service, 2019 to 2025.

Period	Value
2019	16,480
2020	12,787
2021	14,143
2022	13,543
2023	15,015
2024	16,321
2025	16,902

• The Maldives Police Service logged 16,902 cases in 2025, up from 16,321 in 2024. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police), Jun 2026)
• Logged cases include traffic accidents (3,078) and lost items (998). Theft cases fell 7.7% to 3,478, and robbery cases more than halved, to 233. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police), Jun 2026)
• 12,373 of the cases in 2025 were logged in Malé, about 73%, and the atolls together logged 4,529, up from 3,943. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police), Jun 2026)
• Kaafu, the atoll with the most resorts, logged 363 cases in 2025, and Baa 142. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police), Jun 2026)
• Foreign nationals were 273 of the 3,455 people detained by police in 2025. (MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police), Oct 2026)

Logged cases are all cases recorded by police, including traffic accidents and lost property, so they are not a crime rate. The figures are national and the police do not publish figures for tourists. Malé is the capital and the most populated island, not a resort area. Foreign detainees are all non-Maldivians, most of them resident workers. The Malé share is our calculation.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from official producers in the Maldives. Arrival, bednight, accommodation and occupancy figures are the Ministry of Tourism's, cited through the central bank's monthly tables and the statistics office's yearbook, which republish them with the ministry named as the source; each citation is labelled by dataset. Receipts, GDP and tax figures come from the central bank, the statistics office and the Ministry of Finance; airport figures from the yearbook's aviation tables and the airport operator; climate from the Meteorological Service; reef figures from the Marine Research Institute; and police figures from the yearbook. Where two official series measure the same thing in different ways, such as bednights, each is named and they are not mixed. Targets and forecasts are labelled as such. Where we calculated a figure, such as a share or a sum, the note says so. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.

• MACL · Nov 2026
• Maldives Meteorological Service · Nov 2026
• MBS (annual GDP tables) · Sep 2026
• MBS (annual GDP) · Sep 2026
• MBS (resort employment survey) · Sep 2024
• MBS (resort employment survey) · Jun 2020
• MBS (resort employment survey) · Oct 2021
• MBS (Statistical Pocketbook) · Oct 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Jul 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Oct 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Jul 2025
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Oct 2024
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Jul 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Jul 2025
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Jul 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, aviation) · Jul 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, climate) · Apr 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, climate) · Apr 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook, police) · Oct 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (Statistical Yearbook) · Jun 2026
• MBS (World Tourism Day factsheet) · Sep 2026
• Ministry of Finance (macroeconomic update) · Oct 2026
• Ministry of Finance (revenue policy) · Nov 2026
• MMA (balance of payments) · Oct 2026
• MMA (GDP table) · Oct 2026
• MMA (government revenue) · Jan 2026
• MMA (indicators by establishment) · Oct 2026
• MMA (indicators by establishment) · Oct 2026
• MMA (tourism indicators) · Oct 2026
• MMA (tourist arrivals) · Oct 2026
• MMRI · 2022
• President's Office · Feb 2026
• President's Office · Feb 2025