Summary
- Exports
- $270million
- Imports
- $4.3billion
- Trade balance
- -$4billion
Products
What it exports
Airplanes and helicopters (29%) and frozen fish (20.4%) together make up 49.4% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (17.1%) and cargo and cruise ships (7.7%) together make up 24.7% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $94 million | $33 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $79 million | $239 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $41 million | $19 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $30 million | $766 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $8 million | $102 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $4 million | $2 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $3 million | $398 million |
| 74 · Copper | $3 million | $6 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $1 million | $38 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $976 thousand | $64 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $953 thousand | $381 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $862 thousand | $331 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $728 thousand | $17 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $523 thousand | $34 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $460 thousand | $65 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $376 thousand | $98 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $308 thousand | $110 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $185 thousand | $28 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $166 thousand | $9 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $165 thousand | $19 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $103 thousand | $25 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $90 thousand | $16 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $72 thousand | $82 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $65 thousand | $16 thousand |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $50 thousand | $3 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $38 thousand | $58 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $34 thousand | $25 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $32 thousand | $4 million |
| 70 · Glass | $32 thousand | $23 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $32 thousand | $8 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $27 thousand | $2 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $25 thousand | $11 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $25 thousand | $4 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $24 thousand | $21 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $21 thousand | $109 million |
| 78 · Lead | $16 thousand | $100 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $15 thousand | $15 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $14 thousand | $48 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $13 thousand | $1 million |
| 44 · Wood | $13 thousand | $92 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $12 thousand | $25 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $12 thousand | $49 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $9 thousand | $400 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $9 thousand | $3 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $7 thousand | $8 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $6 thousand | $3 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $6 thousand | $2 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $5 thousand | $2 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $5 thousand | $21 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $5 thousand | $23 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $4 thousand | $36 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $4 thousand | $14 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $4 thousand | $4 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $3 thousand | $45 thousand |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $3 thousand | $46 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $3 thousand | $24 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $2 thousand | $5 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $2 thousand | $39 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $2 thousand | $460 thousand |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $2 thousand | $28 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $1 thousand | $174 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $1 thousand | $2 million |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $950 | $2 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $511 | $548 thousand |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $476 | $2 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $320 | $1 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $305 | $106 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $296 | $27 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $255 | $133 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $135 | $51 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $61 | $96 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $36 | $5 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $18 | $6 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $16 | $23 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $15 | $4 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $7 | $31 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $7 | $587 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $5 | $80 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $14 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $0 | $14 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $7 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $2 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $0 | $2 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $2 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $860 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $788 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $777 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $690 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $455 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $0 | $378 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $356 thousand |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $0 | $220 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $0 | $216 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $0 | $121 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $0 | $71 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $48 thousand |
Trading partners
India is its main destination (34.1% of exports) and source (22% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 92 | 34.1% | Air |
| Thailand | 48.2 | 17.8% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 21.5 | 8% | Sea |
| Singapore | 16.3 | 6% | Sea |
| Germany | 15.8 | 5.9% | Sea |
| Mauritius | 15.4 | 5.7% | Sea |
| France | 9.3 | 3.4% | Sea |
| Switzerland | 6.4 | 2.4% | Sea |
| United States | 4.9 | 1.8% | Sea |
| Hong Kong | 4.3 | 1.6% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 936 | 22% | Sea |
| China | 716 | 16.8% | Sea |
| United Arab Emirates | 545 | 12.8% | Sea |
| Oman | 280 | 6.6% | Sea |
| Malaysia | 208 | 4.9% | Sea |
| Sri Lanka | 162 | 3.8% | Sea |
| Singapore | 149 | 3.5% | Sea |
| United States | 144 | 3.4% | Air |
| Thailand | 112 | 2.6% | Sea |
| France | 99.6 | 2.3% | Air |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, the Maldives accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports tripled since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 0.3
- Imports 4.3
- Balance -4
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $90 million | $328 million | -$238 million |
| 1996 | $85 million | $384 million | -$298 million |
| 1997 | $104 million | $399 million | -$295 million |
| 1998 | $117 million | $436 million | -$319 million |
| 1999 | $119 million | $492 million | -$373 million |
| 2000 | $180 million | $506 million | -$325 million |
| 2001 | $201 million | $481 million | -$280 million |
| 2002 | $225 million | $476 million | -$252 million |
| 2003 | $188 million | $575 million | -$388 million |
| 2004 | $229 million | $807 million | -$578 million |
| 2005 | $222 million | $900 million | -$677 million |
| 2006 | $217 million | $1.1 billion | -$837 million |
| 2007 | $168 million | $1.3 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2008 | $193 million | $1.6 billion | -$1.4 billion |
| 2009 | $112 million | $1.2 billion | -$1 billion |
| 2010 | $143 million | $1.2 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2011 | $200 million | $1.6 billion | -$1.4 billion |
| 2012 | $232 million | $1.7 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2013 | $228 million | $1.9 billion | -$1.7 billion |
| 2014 | $184 million | $2.2 billion | -$2 billion |
| 2015 | $239 million | $2.1 billion | -$1.9 billion |
| 2016 | $280 million | $2.4 billion | -$2.1 billion |
| 2017 | $424 million | $3.1 billion | -$2.7 billion |
| 2018 | $353 million | $3.2 billion | -$2.9 billion |
| 2019 | $277 million | $3.1 billion | -$2.8 billion |
| 2020 | $230 million | $2 billion | -$1.8 billion |
| 2021 | $272 million | $2.8 billion | -$2.5 billion |
| 2022 | $781 million | $4 billion | -$3.2 billion |
| 2023 | $357 million | $3.9 billion | -$3.5 billion |
| 2024 | $270 million | $4.3 billion | -$4 billion |
World rank
The Maldives fell from 170th to 177th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 170th in 1995
- 177th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 170th |
| 1996 | 172nd |
| 1997 | 170th |
| 1998 | 168th |
| 1999 | 165th |
| 2000 | 165th |
| 2001 | 167th |
| 2002 | 166th |
| 2003 | 168th |
| 2004 | 171st |
| 2005 | 173rd |
| 2006 | 176th |
| 2007 | 186th |
| 2008 | 183rd |
| 2009 | 189th |
| 2010 | 188th |
| 2011 | 187th |
| 2012 | 184th |
| 2013 | 185th |
| 2014 | 186th |
| 2015 | 184th |
| 2016 | 180th |
| 2017 | 174th |
| 2018 | 173rd |
| 2019 | 179th |
| 2020 | 178th |
| 2021 | 179th |
| 2022 | 165th |
| 2023 | 176th |
| 2024 | 177th |
What it sells
Fish and seafood became its top export group: from 24% to 35%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 3%
- Copper 1%
- Mechanical machinery 1%
- Animal feed and food waste 1%
- Iron and steel 3%
- Oil, gas and coal 11%
- Prepared meat and fish 15%
- Aircraft and spacecraft 29%
- Fish and seafood 35%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and seafood | 24.3% | 34.8% |
| Aircraft and spacecraft | 0.02% | 29.3% |
| Prepared meat and fish | 38.7% | 15.3% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 0% | 11.1% |
| Iron and steel | 0.25% | 2.8% |
| Animal feed and food waste | 1.6% | 1.5% |
| Mechanical machinery | 0.23% | 1.2% |
| Copper | 0% | 1.2% |
| Other | 35% | 2.8% |
Who it trades with
China went from 0.4% to 16% of the Maldives' trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- India 23%
- China 16%
- United Arab Emirates 12%
- Oman 6%
- Malaysia 5%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 9.1% | 22.7% |
| China | 0.38% | 15.8% |
| United Arab Emirates | 4.8% | 12.1% |
| Oman | 0.02% | 6.2% |
| Malaysia | 3% | 4.6% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.