If you lived in Maldives instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

live 2.3 years longer

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 55.5% less likely to be obese

In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 34.2% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 17.6% less access to essential health services

Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 54.7% more likely to die by suicide

Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 48.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 57.7% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 4.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 35.8% fewer children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Maldives, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 14.8% less likely to have internet access

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Maldives, about 85.2% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 15.4% more on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 62.6% more on healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 75.6% less coastline

Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 34.0% less likely to be murdered

Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

be 93.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water

Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 55.4% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 68.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 80.7% less CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is Maldives compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Maldives or Saudi Arabia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.