Over 2,700 Children in Maldives Living Without Parents, New Statistics Reveal
A woman walks down a street on a Maldivian island, carrying a child. | Photo credit: MV+
Over 2,700 children in the Maldives are living without any parents, according to new data released by the Maldives Bureau of Statistics.
The figures were made public yesterday evening to mark Children’s Day, offering an overview of the situation of children living in the country. According to the data, there are 134,863 children in total residing in the Maldives. Of these, 131,154 are Maldivian citizens, comprising 68,396 boys and 62,758 girls. The data also show that 77,385 children live in islands.
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Family structure statistics indicate that 74 percent of children under the age of 18 live with both parents, while 22 percent live with either their mother or father. The remaining 2 percent around 2,700 children do not live with any parents. The data further indicate that in the atolls, 3.3 percent of children aged between two and 17 are living without a parent.
ޤައުމީ ކުޑަކުދިންގެ ދުވަހުގެ ތަހުނިޔާ ހުރިހާ ކުޑަ ކުދިންނަށް އަރިސްކުރަން.@UNICEFMaldives @MoFmv #UfaaveriKudhin
#HappyChildrensDay202 pic.twitter.com/QzKko5ZRmG— Statistics Maldives (@statsmaldives) May 10, 2025
In terms of education, the 2022 Census shows that 91 percent of all children residing in the Maldives are students. There are 99,300 children currently enrolled in school, with most boys represented in primary and secondary levels. However, girls account for the majority of students in higher secondary education. The number of individuals aged 15 to 17 years stands at 17,651.
Child employment was also addressed in the data, which recorded 2,942 children in some form of work, most of whom are boys. In addition, the statistics highlighted 236 reported cases of child abuse, with most involving sexual assault and the majority of victims being girls.
The data also shed light on the prevalence of disability among children in the country, with 3,401 children reported as having disabilities according to the 2022 Census.
