Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Maldives instead of Nepal, you would:
Health
live 10.6 years longer
In Nepal, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Nepal spends $332 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.
have 13.0% more access to essential health services
Nepal scores 54 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.
be 85.5% less likely to die by suicide
Nepal has a suicide rate of 10.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Nepal, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 56.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Nepal, 10.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
be 73.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nepal, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Maldives, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.
make 9.5 times more money
Nepal has a GDP per capita of $1,536 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.
Life
be 77.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nepal, approximately 142.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.
be 37.5% more likely to be literate
In Nepal, the literacy rate is 71.2% as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 97.9% as of 2021.
be 78.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Nepal, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 44.1% fewer children
In Nepal, there are approximately 19.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Maldives, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.0% more likely to have internet access
In Nepal, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Maldives, about 85.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.1% more on education
Nepal spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 50.2% more on healthcare
Nepal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 70.9% less likely to be murdered
Nepal has a homicide rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Maldives, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 95.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nepal, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.1% more home broadband
Nepal has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.
live with 88.6% more strain on fresh water
Nepal withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
be 61.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nepal, air pollution causes 76.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.6 times more CO2
Nepal emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nepal vs. Maldives
Maldives: At a glance
How big is Maldives compared to Nepal? See an in-depth size comparison.