---
title: "Maldives — capital, area, population and currency"
description: "Maldives: capital Malé, area 298 km², population 529,676 (2025), currency Maldivian rufiyaa. Languages, time zones and calling code."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country/maldives/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Maldives

**Maldives: Capital Malé**

298 km² · 529,676 people (2025) · Maldivian rufiyaa

About 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, of which roughly 190 are inhabited. It is the lowest-lying country in the world: the average ground level is about 1.5 m above the sea and the highest natural point is under 3 m. Total land area is under 300 km², spread across 90,000 km² of ocean.

## The facts

- **Capital:** Malé
- **Area:** 298 km² — 115 sq mi
- **Population:** 529,676 (2025)
- **Density:** 1777.4 people per km²
- **Currency:** Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR, .ރ)
- **Official language:** Maldivian
- **Time zone:** UTC+05:00
- **Calling code:** +960
- **Drives on the:** left
- **ISO codes:** MV · MDV
- **Continent:** Asia

## How it compares

- **By area:** 192 of 200
- **By population:** 171 of 200

> Population is the only figure on this page that dates — it is a 2025 estimate and will drift. Area, capital, currency, languages, calling code and driving side change rarely or never.

## Countries of a similar size

| Country | Area (km²) | Population |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grenada | 344 | 117,303 |
| Malta | 316 | 579,704 |
| Maldives ← | 298 | 529,676 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 261 | 46,922 |
| Marshall Islands | 181 | 36,282 |

## Common questions

### What is the capital of Maldives?

Malé

### What currency does Maldives use?

The Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR).

### How big is Maldives?

298 km², or 115 square miles — 192 of 200 by area.

### Which side of the road does Maldives drive on?

The left.

## Related pages

- [Grenada](https://atoneplace.net/country/grenada/)
- [Malta](https://atoneplace.net/country/malta/)
- [Saint Kitts and Nevis](https://atoneplace.net/country/saint-kitts-and-nevis/)
- [Marshall Islands](https://atoneplace.net/country/marshall-islands/)
- [India](https://atoneplace.net/country/india/)
- [China](https://atoneplace.net/country/china/)
- [Indonesia](https://atoneplace.net/country/indonesia/)
- [Pakistan](https://atoneplace.net/country/pakistan/)
- [Bangladesh](https://atoneplace.net/country/bangladesh/)
- [Japan](https://atoneplace.net/country/japan/)
- [Philippines](https://atoneplace.net/country/philippines/)
- [Vietnam](https://atoneplace.net/country/vietnam/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]