 |
|
Despite strong economic growth in the last two decades, poverty
still exists in Maldives.
About 74 percent of the Maldives’ population reside
in the outer islands. Their livelihoods depend on small agriculture,
fisheries, and limited public sector employment. Although
an official poverty line has not yet been established for
Maldives, the recent report by the government, Vulnerability
and Poverty Assessment, indicates that income poverty is widespread
in Maldives,
though with higher incidence in the outer atolls. About 22
percent of Maldives’ population is estimated to be below
the income poverty line of Rf10 per person per day ($0.85).
The incidence of income poverty rises to 43 percent of the
population when based on a higher income
poverty line of Rf15 per person per day ($1.27).
In Malé,
the incidence of poverty for both income poverty lines is
less than half of what is found in the outer atolls. The poverty
assessment further indicates large differences between Malé
and the outer atolls in access to basic social and infrastructure
services including education, health, water supply and sanitation,
electrification and inter-island transportation services.
The lack of access to employment opportunities (outside of
fishing) is a contributing factor to poverty in remote islands.
The government accords high priority to the regional development
as part of its overall plan to ensure more equitable geographic
distribution of economic and social benefits derived from
growth (especially tourism which has largely centered in the
central Malé region).
However, it remains a major challenge for the Government to
provide adequate essential services for the island populations
due to the highly dispersed nature of the country and diseconomies
of scale in production, transport, and provision of essential
social and infrastructure
services.
|
POPULATION |
2004 |
| Both
Sexes (projections for mid-year) |
289,480 |
| MalesS |
146,799 |
| Females |
142,681 |
| Male'
(Census 2000 ) |
74,069 |
| Urban
(Census 2000 ) |
27.4% |
| Inter-Censal
Annual Growth Rate (1995 - 2000) |
1.9% |
EXPATRIATE
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY AND OCCUPATION
(Till 1st March 2004) |
| |
Total |
AGRICULTURE
AIR TRANSPORT
AUXILLARY TRANSPORT
BEVERAGES
BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
COLLECTION,PURIFICATION AND DISTRIB_ OF WATER
CONSTRUCTION
DEPOSIT BANKS AND OTHER BANKS
EDUCATION
ELECTRICITY GENERATION & DISTRIBUTION
FISHERY
FOOD PRODUCTS & BAKERY PRODUCTS
HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK
HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS
LIVESTOCK
OTHER COMMUNITY,SOCIAL WORK AND PERSONAL SERV
PAPER,PRINTING & PUBLISHING
POST AND TELECOMMUNICATION
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE
RENTING OF TRANSPORT,MECHINARY AND OTHER EQUI
RESORTS
SHIPBUILDING AND REPAIR
WEARING APPAREL
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE |
332
311
163
111
3993
17
6107
18
2645
2
719
77
1191
2196
3
1806
1
23
982
59
9505
71
2471
1060 |
EXPATRIATE
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY AND NATIONALITY
(Till 1st March 2004) |
| |
Total |
AGRICULTURE
AIR TRANSPORT
AUXILLARY TRANSPORT
BEVERAGES
BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
COLLECTION,PURIFICATION AND DISTRIB_ OF WATER
CONSTRUCTION
DEPOSIT BANKS AND OTHER BANKS
EDUCATION
ELECTRICITY GENERATION & DISTRIBUTION
FISHERY
FOOD PRODUCTS & BAKERY PRODUCTS
HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK
HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS
LIVESTOCK
OTHER COMMUNITY,SOCIAL WORK AND PERSONAL SERV
PAPER,PRINTING & PUBLISHING
POST AND TELECOMMUNICATION
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE
RENTING OF TRANSPORT,MECHINARY AND OTHER EQUI
RESORTS
SHIPBUILDING AND REPAIR
WEARING APPAREL
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE |
332
311
163
111
3993
17
6107
18
2645
2
719
77
1191
2196
3
1806
1
23
982
59
9505
71
2471
1060 |
|
|
 Sources |
|
|
