This Migration Profile is the result of a two-year project (2016–2018) implemented by the International Organization for Migration at the request of and in partnership with Maldives Immigration, under the purview of the Ministry of Economic Development. It brings together all available relevant data and information on migration and provides policy directives and recommendations to enhance evidence-based policymaking and implementation. This Migration Profile is expected to spark a dynamic process that fosters long-term multi-stakeholder collaboration on migration data and governance, which should include regularly updating and disseminating information, complemented by awareness-raising and capacity-building activities that are in line with recommendations made by various actors to address identified gaps. Such collaboration, in turn, will ensure national stakeholders’ ownership of the Migration Profile process going forward and, therefore, its long-term sustainability.

This Migration Profile first examines the demographic, socioeconomic and labour market characteristics of Maldives. It then presents key figures and trends relating to international and internal migration, and then analyses links between migration and the country’s socioeconomic development. It also reviews migration governance at the national and international levels, including laws and policies that touch upon migration and migrants’ rights, and gives a rundown of the wide array of national institutions involved in migration management and data collection. Summarizing and reflecting on key findings, the Migration Profile concludes by offering targeted, practical and realistic recommendations for future policy development in relation to migration governance and data management in the Republic of Maldives that policymakers will find useful.