Photo: Steevie · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 05 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Maldives: Health & Wellbeing
How long, and how well fed, do people live?
Maldives is placed 62nd of 200 countries on health & wellbeing in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Life Expectancy at Birth 81.04 (2023); Under-Five Mortality Rate 5.439 (2024).
Share
Health & Wellbeing
62nd
of 200 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
- 81.04Life Expectancy at Birth, 2023Years a newborn would live at current death rates
- 5.439Under-Five Mortality Rate, 2024Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)
- 15.28Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five, 2024Children under 5 who are stunted (%)
- —Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, 2024No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Maldives on health & wellbeing — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Life Expectancy at Birth
UN DESA Population Division
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
81.04
Years a newborn would live at current death rates
Higher is better
Maldives: 81.04. Across the 222 countries in this edition, values run from 54.46 (Nigeria) to 86.37 (Monaco); the world median is 74.63.
- World median
- 74.63
- Best in Southern Asia
- 81.04 Maldives
Key 2 of 4
Under-Five Mortality Rate
UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
5.439
Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)
Lower is better
Maldives: 5.439. Across the 200 countries in this edition, values run from 1.26 (San Marino) to 115.65 (Nigeria); the world median is 14.54.
- World median
- 14.54
- Best in Southern Asia
- 5.439 Maldives
Key 3 of 4
Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five
UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates)
Latest reading per country, 2014–2024 · Maldives’s is from 2017 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
15.28
Children under 5 who are stunted (%)
Lower is better
Maldives: 15.28. Across the 162 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0.518 (Latvia) to 52.8 (Burundi); the world median is 13.8.
- World median
- 13.8
- Best in Southern Asia
- 4.8 Iran
Key 4 of 4
Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Population in severe food insecurity (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2024 figure for Maldives, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 125 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Brazil) to 62.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 4.9.
- World median
- 4.9
- Best in Southern Asia
- 1.1 Sri Lanka
02Over time
Which way Maldives is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Life Expectancy at Birth
Years a newborn would live at current death rates · higher is better
MaldivesWorld median
Maldives rose from 70.89 in 2000 to 81.04 in 2023; the world median went from 70.68 to 74.63.
Every year’s figures
Year Maldives World median 2023 81.0 74.630 2022 80.8 74.313 2021 78.1 72.433 2020 78.7 73.063 2019 79.7 74.196 2018 79.4 74.081 2017 79.2 74.029 2016 78.9 74.013 2015 78.6 73.783 2014 78.2 73.330 2013 77.8 73.386 2012 77.5 73.210 2011 77.1 73.003 2010 76.8 72.827 2009 76.4 72.426 2008 76.0 72.264 2007 75.7 72.113 2006 75.3 72.027 2005 74.8 71.876 2004 73.0 71.477 2003 73.3 71.409 2002 72.4 71.173 2001 71.7 70.926 2000 70.9 70.678 Under-Five Mortality Rate
Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births) · lower is better
MaldivesWorld median
Maldives fell from 39.48 in 2000 to 5.439 in 2024; the world median went from 30.43 to 14.54.
Every year’s figures
Year Maldives World median 2024 5.4 14.5 2023 5.7 15.2 2022 6.0 14.7 2021 6.4 15.1 2020 6.9 15.3 2019 7.4 15.7 2018 8.0 16.3 2017 8.6 16.8 2016 9.2 17.5 2015 9.9 17.9 2014 10.6 18.3 2013 11.3 18.7 2012 12.1 18.8 2011 12.9 19.0 2010 13.8 19.2 2009 14.9 20.8 2008 16.1 20.7 2007 17.6 21.8 2006 19.4 22.8 2005 21.6 24.0 2004 27.2 25.9 2003 27.4 26.9 2002 31.1 28.0 2001 35.1 29.1 2000 39.5 30.4 Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity
Population in severe food insecurity (%) · lower is better
MaldivesWorld median
Maldives was at 2.2 in both 2019 and 2022; the world median went from 4.95 to 5.45.
Every year’s figures
Year Maldives World median 2024 — 4.9 2023 — 4.7 2022 2 5.4 2021 2 5.7 2020 2 5.6 2019 2 5.0 2018 — 4.2 2017 — 4.0 2016 — 3.4 2015 — 3.4
03In context
Maldives beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 200 countries on health & wellbeing, never a place within the region.
Maldives and Southern Asia
Maldives has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 200; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Life Expectancy at BirthYears a newborn would live at current death rates | Under-Five Mortality RateDeaths before age five (per 1,000 live births) | Stunting Prevalence in Children Under FiveChildren under 5 who are stunted (%) | Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityPopulation in severe food insecurity (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sri Lanka | 51st | 77.48 | 5.881 | 10.5 | 1.1 |
| Maldives | 62nd | 81.04 | 5.439 | 15.28 | — |
 Iran | =67th | 77.65 | 11.32 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
 Bhutan | =118th | 72.98 | 17.17 | 17.9 | — |
 Bangladesh | 136th | 74.67 | 30.5 | 23.56 | — |
 Nepal | 143rd | 70.35 | 25.12 | 24.81 | 12.3 |
 India | 150th | 72 | 26.58 | 35.47 | — |
 Pakistan | 161st | 67.65 | 55.96 | 37.63 | 5.5 |
 Afghanistan | 190th | 66.03 | 53.03 | 44.6 | 30.2 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Southern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 200.
Placed either side on health & wellbeing
The countries immediately above and below Maldives in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Maldives is ahead of the world, and behind
44 more statistics filed under health & wellbeing, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median29
Statistics on which Maldives does better than the middle country measured.
Oral Rehydration Salts for Children with DiarrhoeaUNICEF · 2024 · world median 41.574.841.5No earlier reading
Maldives: 74.8 · world median 41.5 · Children under 5 with diarrhoea given oral rehydration salts (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 9.9 to 95.4; higher is better.
Position 5th of 127 · derived.
Adult Mortality (Probability of Dying Between 15 and 60)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 133.737.94133.7▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 37.94 · world median 133.7 · Deaths before age 60 per 1,000 people alive at 15, at that year's death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 25.15 to 415.44; lower is better.
Position 214th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Immunisation Coverage, Measles First Dose (MCV1)WUENIC · 2025 · world median 909990▲ Improved since 2015
Maldives: 99 · world median 90 · Infants given a first dose of measles vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 13 to 99; higher is better.
Immunisation Coverage, DTP3WUENIC · 2025 · world median 919991▲ Improved since 2015
Maldives: 99 · world median 91 · Infants given a third dose of DTP vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 39 to 99; higher is better.
Fruit Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 84.83168.5184.83▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 168.51 · world median 84.83 · Fruit available as food, excluding wine (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.27 to 379.63; higher is better.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.265.64821.26No earlier reading
Maldives: 5.648 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 104th of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Minimum Dietary Diversity, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2025 · world median 37.5771.3837.57No earlier reading
Maldives: 71.38 · world median 37.57 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at least 5 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 8.089 to 85.88; higher is better.
Position 12th of 115 · derived.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.0030.039No real change since 2018
Maldives: 0.003 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 97th of 109 · derived, 1st = worst.
Vegetable Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 102.69195.96102.69▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 195.96 · world median 102.69 · Vegetables available as food (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 6.89 to 412.72; higher is better.
Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 40.7463.0340.74No earlier reading
Maldives: 63.03 · world median 40.74 · Infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.497 to 83.3; higher is better.
Position 20th of 136 · derived.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.465.42527.46▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 5.425 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 189th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Days Above 35°CECMWF · 2025 · world median 3.4803.48No real change since 2015
Maldives: 0 · world median 3.48 · Days a year with a maximum temperature above 35°C, averaged over the country’s land. World Bank Group (Climate Change Knowledge Portal), from Copernicus ERA5 (ECMWF), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 222.89; lower is better.
Overweight Prevalence in Children Under FiveUNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates) · 2024 · world median 5.53.055.5▲ Improved since 2014
Maldives: 3.05 · world median 5.5 · Children under 5 who are overweight (%). UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.623 to 26.43; lower is better.
Position 137th of 163 · derived, 1st = worst.
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietFAO · 2025 · world median 26.44.226.4▲ Improved since 2017
Maldives: 4.2 · world median 26.4 · Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 93.9; lower is better.
Position 119th of 145 · derived, 1st = worst.
HPV Vaccination Coverage, GirlsWUENIC · 2025 · world median 65.58465.5▲ Improved since 2020
Maldives: 84 · world median 65.5 · Girls in the target group given the final dose of HPV vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1 to 99; higher is better.
Mortality Rate, Ages 5–14UN IGME · 2024 · world median 2.8581.362.858▲ Improved since 2014
Maldives: 1.36 · world median 2.858 · Deaths between ages 5 and 14 (per 1,000 children aged 5). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.392 to 59.04; lower is better.
Position 154th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Infant Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 12.264.74512.26▲ Improved since 2014
Maldives: 4.745 · world median 12.26 · Deaths before age one (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.214 to 71.87; lower is better.
Position 152nd of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Early Initiation of BreastfeedingUNICEF · 2024 · world median 52.9566.4652.95No earlier reading
Maldives: 66.46 · world median 52.95 · Newborns put to the breast within one hour of birth (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 7.749 to 93.1; higher is better.
Position 34th of 136 · derived.
Neonatal Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 8.1343.678.134▲ Improved since 2014
Maldives: 3.67 · world median 8.134 · Deaths in the first 28 days (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.544 to 39.47; lower is better.
Position 147th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Female Genital Mutilation PrevalenceUNICEF · 2024 · world median 34.112.934.1No earlier reading
Maldives: 12.9 · world median 34.1 · Women aged 15-49 who have undergone FGM (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.3 to 99.2; lower is better.
Life Expectancy at Age 65UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 16.3918.4616.39▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 18.46 · world median 16.39 · Further years a 65-year-old would live at current death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 12.13 to 23.21; higher is better.
Position 62nd of 222 · derived.
PM2.5 Air Pollution ExposureAtmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis · 2023 · world median 14.4510.914.45No real change since 2013
Maldives: 10.9 · world median 14.45 · Population-weighted PM2.5 concentration (µg/m³). Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 68.2; lower is better.
Position 149th of 220 · derived, 1st = worst.
Care-Seeking for Children with Symptoms of PneumoniaUNICEF · 2024 · world median 67.774.167.7No earlier reading
Maldives: 74.1 · world median 67.7 · Children under 5 with pneumonia symptoms taken to a health provider (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 14 to 99.1; higher is better.
Position 42nd of 127 · derived.
Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 2023 · world median 8.1635.1478.163No real change since 2013
Maldives: 5.147 · world median 8.163 · Stillbirths (per 1,000 total births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.18 to 34.9; lower is better.
Position 131st of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.6531.8246.65▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 31.82 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 115th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.3090.351No real change since 2013
Maldives: 0.309 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 79th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.7620.7660.762▲ Improved since 2013
Maldives: 0.766 · world median 0.762 · HDI score (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.388 to 0.972; higher is better.
Ranked 93rd of 193 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and TubersFAO · 2022 · world median 414041No real change since 2012
Maldives: 40 · world median 41 · Share of dietary energy supply from cereals, roots and tubers (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 21 to 82; lower is better.
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four VisitsUNICEF · 2025 · world median 8181.681No earlier reading
Maldives: 81.6 · world median 81 · Women with a live birth who had 4+ antenatal visits (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 22.6 to 100; higher is better.
Position 76th of 153 · derived.
Behind the world median6
Statistics on which Maldives does worse than the middle country measured.
Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 PandemicAriel Karlinsky and Dmitry Kobak (World Mortality Dataset) · 2026 · world median 272.35279.5272.35No earlier reading
Maldives: 279.5 · world median 272.35 · Excess deaths per 100,000 people, March 2020 to the end of each country's data (at most December 2023). Ariel Karlinsky and Dmitry Kobak (World Mortality Dataset), 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from -264.9 to 1,013; lower is better.
Postnatal Care for Newborns Within Two DaysUNICEF · 2025 · world median 82.981.982.9No earlier reading
Maldives: 81.9 · world median 82.9 · Newborns with a health check within 2 days of birth (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 7.3 to 99.9; higher is better.
Position 58th of 109 · derived.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.994.596.9No earlier reading
Maldives: 94.5 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.
Low Birthweight PrevalenceUNICEF and WHO (Joint Low Birthweight Estimates) · 2020 · world median 10.2113.7210.21No real change since 2010
Maldives: 13.72 · world median 10.21 · Live births weighing under 2,500 g (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Low Birthweight Estimates), 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 3.993 to 27.44; lower is better.
Position 43rd of 158 · derived, 1st = worst.
Wasting Prevalence in Children Under FiveUNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates) · 2024 · world median 3.5469.1493.546No earlier reading
Maldives: 9.149 · world median 3.546 · Children under 5 who are wasted (%). UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.1 to 22.74; lower is better.
Position 22nd of 163 · derived, 1st = worst.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2534.871.25▼ Worsened since 2013
Maldives: 34.8 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.
Position 185th of 196 · derived.
No better end9
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Fish and Seafood Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 16.1779.7416.17No real change since 2013
Maldives: 79.74 · world median 16.17 · Fish and seafood available as food (kg per person per year, live-weight equivalent). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.38 to 83.81.
Pesticide Use per HectareFAO · 2024 · world median 1.7323.671.73Moved since 2014
Maldives: 23.67 · world median 1.73 · Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 37.72.
Position 5th of 178 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Average Weekly Hours WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 38.8945.7838.89Moved since 2015
Maldives: 45.78 · world median 38.89 · Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person. International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.64 to 54.7.
Position 15th of 182 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Caesarean Section RateUNICEF · 2025 · world median 20.654020.65No earlier reading
Maldives: 40 · world median 20.65 · Live births delivered by caesarean section (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 72.2.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.889.8156.88No earlier reading
Maldives: 9.815 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
Cost of a Healthy DietFAO · 2025 · world median 4.554.454.55Moved since 2017
Maldives: 4.45 · world median 4.55 · Cost of the cheapest locally available healthy diet, PPP dollars per person per day. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.66 to 8.27.
Meat Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 57.8329.6257.83No real change since 2013
Maldives: 29.62 · world median 57.83 · Meat available as food (kg per person per year, carcass weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 3.49 to 156.95.
Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 41.2516.541.25Moved since 2013
Maldives: 16.5 · world median 41.25 · Share of all women aged 15–49 using any contraceptive method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 6.6 to 78.7.
Modern Contraceptive PrevalenceUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 35.41335.4Moved since 2013
Maldives: 13 · world median 35.4 · Share of all women aged 15–49 using a modern contraceptive method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2 to 73.8.
No current reading for Maldives
Adults Who Have Been Too Anxious or Depressed to Carry On, Agreement That Vaccines Are Safe, Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2021), Children with Functional Difficulties, Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Dietary Energy Supply, Fatal Occupational Injuries, Global Report on Food Crises, Human Capital Index, INFORM Severity Index, Insecticide-Treated Net Use, Malaria Incidence (P. falciparum), Malaria Incidence (P. vivax), Malaria Mortality (P. falciparum), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity (last 2022), Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity (last 2022), Prevalence of Undernourishment and Violent Discipline of Children. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Health & Wellbeing among Maldives’s 16 topics
Health & Wellbeing is Maldives’s 3rd best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Poverty & Inequality13th of 1593/3 keys
- Risk & Resiliencejoint 56th of 1933/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing62nd of 2003/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 64th of 1824/4 keys
- Peace & Security68th of 1773/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge79th of 1984/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation79th of 1762/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties97th of 1984/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture92nd of 1843/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital103rd of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions105th of 1944/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability128th of 1862/4 keys
- Gender & Equality149th of 1833/4 keys
- Digital & Technology162nd of 1984/4 keys
- Energy136th of 1652/3 keys
- Mobility & Trade169th of 1772/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on health & wellbeing
The three countries placed highest of 200, and the leaders Maldives can most readily be measured against.
1
San MarinoSouthern Europe
1st of 200 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Matl derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
MonacoWestern Europe
2nd of 200 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Martin Weber derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
AndorraSouthern Europe
3rd of 200 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Tiia Monto derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest placed on all 4 keys
South Korea5th4/4 keysHighest in Southern Asia
Sri Lanka51st4/4 keysThis page
Maldives62nd3/4 keys
Positions out of 200 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Maldives and health & wellbeing
On health & wellbeing
Global Hunger Index 2025: Countries with the Most Alarming Hunger Crisis
Thirteen countries scored across four editions — 2000, 2008, 2016 and 2025 — and five the report could not score at all. DR Congo and South Sudan share 121st place on 37.5.
On health & wellbeing
World Happiness Report 2025: Finland Leads Again as the US and UK Face Major Declines
The ten highest life evaluations of 2025, drawn on a world map, and the six things the report uses to explain them. Costa Rica and Mexico are the only two outside Europe and the Middle East.
08Questions
Maldives on health & wellbeing: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Maldives rank on health & wellbeing?
Maldives is placed 62nd of 200 countries on Health & Wellbeing in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Life Expectancy at Birth, Under-Five Mortality Rate and Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Life Expectancy at Birth figure for Maldives?
81.04 in 2023 (years a newborn would live at current death rates), according to UN DESA Population Division. The world median in the same edition was 74.63.
What is the latest Under-Five Mortality Rate figure for Maldives?
5.439 in 2024 (deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)), according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The world median in the same edition was 14.54.
How have Maldives’s health & wellbeing figures changed?
Life Expectancy at Birth rose from 70.89 in 2000 to 81.04 in 2023; Under-Five Mortality Rate fell from 39.48 in 2000 to 5.439 in 2024; Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity was 2.2 in both 2019 and 2022.
Which health & wellbeing statistics are missing for Maldives?
No current reading is published for Maldives on Adults Who Have Been Too Anxious or Depressed to Carry On, Agreement That Vaccines Are Safe, Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, Children with Functional Difficulties, Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Dietary Energy Supply, Fatal Occupational Injuries, Global Report on Food Crises, Human Capital Index, INFORM Severity Index, Insecticide-Treated Net Use, Malaria Incidence (P. falciparum), Malaria Incidence (P. vivax), Malaria Mortality (P. falciparum), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Undernourishment and Violent Discipline of Children. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Health spending, hospital beds and doctors per person are not measured, because more of any of them does not guarantee better outcomes. Mental health and self-reported happiness are not part of this topic. Food supply per person is measured under Food & Agriculture. Maternal mortality and many other indicators are published here as context; maternal mortality is a key in Development & Human Capital instead.
How the Health & Wellbeing standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The health & wellbeing method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Life Expectancy at Birth — UN DESA Population Division, CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Under-Five Mortality Rate — UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five — UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 44 statistics on this page come from 15 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Maldives’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Maldives (banner) — Steevie, CC0
- San Marino — Matl derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Monaco — Martin Weber derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Andorra — Tiia Monto derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Maldives: Health & Wellbeing — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/maldives/health