Land use in Maldives
Maldives: Land use was 4,900 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4,900 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
196th
of 224 countries
All-time high
11,000 hectares
in 2002
All-time low
4,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Maldives, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Maldives stood at 4,900 hectares.
The figure is down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Maldives peaked at 11,000 hectares in 2002 and was at its lowest, 4,000 hectares, in 1961.
That places Maldives 196th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Maldives, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 4,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 5,000 hectares | +25.0% |
| 1972 | 5,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6,000 hectares | +20.0% |
| 1974 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7,000 hectares | +16.7% |
| 1983 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8,000 hectares | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 9,000 hectares | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 11,000 hectares | +22.2% |
| 2003 | 11,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10,000 hectares | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 8,000 hectares | -20.0% |
| 2006 | 6,000 hectares | -25.0% |
| 2007 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5,900 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 5,900 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5,400 hectares | -8.5% |
| 2013 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5,400 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4,900 hectares | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 4,900 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4,900 hectares | +0.0% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 4,900 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 0% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 4,900 hectares is below the median for South Asia, which is 2.26 million hectares, 0% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4,000 hectares | 4,000 hectares | 4,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 5,600 hectares | 4,000 hectares | 6,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 6,800 hectares | 6,000 hectares | 7,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 7,000 hectares | 7,000 hectares | 7,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 8,100 hectares | 6,000 hectares | 11,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,500 hectares | 5,400 hectares | 5,900 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,025 hectares | 4,900 hectares | 5,400 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 193 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5,100 hectares compare
- 194 Antigua and Barbuda 5,000 hectares compare
- 194 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5,000 hectares compare
- 197 Bahrain 4,100 hectares compare
- 198 Saint Helena 4,000 hectares compare
- 198 Western Sahara 4,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Maldives
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.252 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.911 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 4.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1991)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 4.35 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Maldives?
- Land use in Maldives was 4,900 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 11,000 hectares in 2002.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Maldives rank for land use?
- Maldives ranks 196th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Maldives data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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