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Human Development

Human Development & Quality of Life in Maldives

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HDI 0.766 · UNDP rank 93 · latest published data

High human development

The headline development measure for the Maldives is HDI 0.766 in 2023, corresponding to UNDP rank 93 and the high human development band. The page therefore does not stop at the composite. The income component uses GNI per capita of $19,317 in 2021 PPP dollars. It also keeps in view that education combines 12.8 expected years of schooling with 7.4 mean years already attained.

0.766HDI · 2023
UNDP rank 93
0.766
HDI
UNDP 2023
0.602
IHDI
loss 21.4%
0.309
GII
rank 79
0.986
GDI
group 1

What sits inside Maldives' HDI

Maldives' HDI can be read through four underlying inputs for 2023: 81.0 life expectancy, 12.8 expected schooling, 7.4 mean schooling and GNI per capita of $19,317 in 2021 PPP dollars. The components are inputs to HDI, not independent country league tables.

81.0
Life expectancy
years
12.8
Expected schooling
years
7.4
Mean schooling
years
$19,317
GNI per capita
2021 PPP $

Inequality changes the headline

In Maldives' profile, IHDI shows the effect of inequality on health, education and income achievements, the page keeps this distribution measure distinct from broader quality-of-life evidence. For a like-for-like reading, separate the measure from subjective well-being before using the result as a shorthand for lived experience.

HDI
0.766
IHDI
0.602
21.4%overall loss after inequality adjustment, UNDP 2023

Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments

For this profile, Maldives has additional UNDP measures of GDI 0.986, GII 0.309. Each measure has a different definition, so they are not combined.

0.986
Gender Development Index
UNDP group 1. GDI compares female and male achievement in the three HDI dimensions.
0.309
Gender Inequality Index
Rank 79. Lower GII values indicate lower measured inequality across reproductive health, empowerment and labour-market dimensions.
Human development is not the same as quality of life

Quality-of-life coverage is conditional

For Maldives, the page has no verified OECD life-satisfaction observation to report. No value is inferred when the underlying source does not publish one.

Omit rather than guess: subjective well-being, social support, safety and time-use measures are added only when a reliable source provides a clearly defined country observation and year.

What Maldives' numbers say together

In this country profile, the complementary evidence for the Maldives includes IHDI 0.602 with a 21.4% loss; GDI 0.986. These measures remain distinct because they measure different aspects of development.

HDI places Maldives in the high human development group

HDI for the Maldives stands at 0.766 in 2023, with UNDP rank 93. It is a development benchmark based on three dimensions, not an all-purpose national score. For a like-for-like reading, do not infer an unstated comparison because a composite score cannot explain every outcome on its own.

Inequality changes the effective level

The IHDI is 0.602, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 21.4% relative to the headline index.

Gender development is a separate lens

The GDI value is 0.986 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.

No invented score. HDI and quality-of-life measures remain separate.
Every number keeps its year. Publication year is not treated as observation year.
Comparable first, national second. UNDP anchors the core; OECD or national sources add depth.
Missing data are omitted, not guessed. Missing UNDP values are shown as unavailable.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maldives' HDI?

For Maldives, the 2025 UNDP report publishes a 2023 HDI value of 0.766 and rank 93.

How does inequality affect Maldives' HDI?

IHDI for the Maldives is 0.602 in the 2023 table. That represents a 21.4% reduction from the headline development index. When the indicator is reused, avoid turning the indicator into a general country score so the limitation remains visible to the reader.

Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?

Maldives' page adds a quality-of-life measure only when a comparable dated observation can be sourced. The profile does not turn an absent source observation into a calculated replacement. When using this figure elsewhere, avoid turning the indicator into a general country score so the number is not mistaken for another indicator.

Is HDI the same as quality of life?

No. Quality of life is broader than the HDI framework, which centres on health, education and income. Quality-of-life evidence is presented alongside HDI only when a comparable observation is available.

Sources & methodology

Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.

View sources used for this page
UNDP Human Development Report 2025 statistical tables

Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.

UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.

Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.