Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Maldives instead of Guam, you would:

Health

live 3.9 years longer

In Guam, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 19.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Guam, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.

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make 65.1% less money

Guam has a GDP per capita of $41,833 as of 2022, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.

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Life

be 59.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Guam, approximately 11.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 38.9% fewer children

In Guam, there are approximately 17.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Maldives, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 5.1 times more coastline

Guam has a total of 126 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.

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Safety

be 85.7% less likely to be murdered

Guam has a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2019.

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Infrastructure

find 10.7 times more home broadband

Guam has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Guam vs. Maldives

Cost of Living Comparison · 6 categories - 2026 data
Maldives is 50.2% cheaper than Guam overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Guam is about 1.8 times bigger than Maldives.
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Moving from Guam to Maldives · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Maldives: At a glance

Maldives is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 298 sq km. A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated the islands' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. Following political demonstrations in the capital Male in August 2003, the president and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress was sluggish, however, and many promised reforms were slow to be realized. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. In June 2008, a constituent assembly - termed the "Special Majlis" - finalized a new constitution, which was ratified by the president in August. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held in October 2008. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff poll by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist who had been jailed several years earlier by the former regime. President NASHEED faced a number of challenges including strengthening democracy and combating poverty and drug abuse. In early February 2012, after several weeks of street protests following his sacking of a top judge, NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. In mid-2012, a Commission of National Inquiry was set by the government to probe events leading up to NASHEED's resignation. Though the commission found no evidence of a coup, the report recommended the need to strengthen the country's democratic institutions to avert similar events in the future, and to further investigate alleged police misconduct during the crisis. Maldivian officials have played a prominent role in international climate change discussions (due to the islands' low elevation and the threat from sea-level rise) on the UN Human Rights Council and in other international forums, as well as in encouraging regional cooperation, especially between India and Pakistan.
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How big is Maldives compared to Guam? See an in-depth size comparison.

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