Maldives and Seychelles
Maldives and Seychelles are strengthening tourism, climate and mobility cooperation as Indian Ocean island states. The Seychellois ministerial visit in May 2026 advanced multilateral coordination and implementation of existing instruments.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-08What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, goods trade between Maldives and Seychelles totalled 0.18 million current USD.
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, electrical and electronic equipment stands out in shipments from Seychelles to Maldives, at 0.064 million USD in 2025.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 0.18 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Maldives to Seychelles | 0.0047 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Seychelles to Maldives | 0.175 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Maldives to Seychelles | 0.00325 % | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Export share: Seychelles to Maldives | ||
| Investment stock: Maldives in Seychelles | ||
| Investment stock: Seychelles in Maldives |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade; reporters JOR, JPN, KGZ, LBR, LKA, LVA, MDG, MDV, MHL, MNE · Goods; full calendar year; reporting country MDV. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Goods: Maldives to Seychelles
- 2025 · UN Comtrade; reporters JOR, JPN, KGZ, LBR, LKA, LVA, MDG, MDV, MHL, MNE · Goods; full calendar year; reporting country MDV. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Goods: Seychelles to Maldives
- 2025 · UN Comtrade; reporters JOR, JPN, KGZ, LBR, LKA, LVA, MDG, MDV, MHL, MNE · Goods; full calendar year; reporting country MDV. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Export share: Maldives to Seychelles
- 2025 · UN Comtrade; reporters JOR, JPN, KGZ, LBR, LKA, LVA, MDG, MDV, MHL, MNE · Exports to the partner / worldwide exports by the same reporter; same year and coverage.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Maldives | Seychelles |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 7.74 billion USD2025 · WB | 2.39 billion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 14,614.72 USD2025 · WB | 19,449.38 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 6.31 %2025 · WB | 5.8 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | ||
| Inflation · annual average | 4.01 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 0.3 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | ||
| Unemployment | 4.51 %ILO est.2025 · WB | |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -2.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 125.4 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 51.5 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -18.68 %2024 · WB | -7.46 %2024 · WB |
| Population | 529,6762025 · WB | 122,7302025 · WB |
| Area | 300 km²2023 · WB | 460 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDMaldives: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personMaldives: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Maldives: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Maldives: 2025 · Annual average CPI change (%) · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2025 · Annual average CPI change (%) · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency stated
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionMaldives: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Maldives: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.Seychelles: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Maldives: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.Seychelles: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPMaldives: 2024 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2024 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Population
- PeopleMaldives: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceMaldives: 2023 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Seychelles: 2023 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Maldives to Seychelles
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Seychelles to Maldives
Connections between people
Contacts between people and relations between governments are distinct dimensions. Published counts appear in the table with their date and definition; a resident community is not inferred from trade or diplomatic representation. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Maldives living in Seychelles | ||
| Residents from Seychelles living in Maldives | ||
| Study and training: Maldives in Seychelles | ||
| Study and training: Seychelles in Maldives | ||
| Academic stays: Maldives in Seychelles | ||
| Academic stays: Seychelles in Maldives | ||
| Travel: Maldives to Seychelles | ||
| Travel: Seychelles to Maldives |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
History and institutional framework
Barry Faure met with Iruthisham Adam in Malé on May 14, 2026. The statement identifies it as the first official visit by a Seychellois foreign minister to Maldives and the first high-level bilateral interaction since the change of administration in Seychelles. [1]
The scale of both economies
Nominal GDP for Maldives is 7.7 billion USD (2025), compared with 2.4 for Seychelles (2025). The reference populations are 0.53 and 0.123 million, respectively. In the same year, the economy of Maldives was 3.24 times that of Seychelles in nominal GDP. The comparison provides context on market size, but does not, on its own, measure influence, well-being or diplomatic closeness. Estimates and their sources retain their labels in the tables. [4] [5]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-08
Cooperation and bilateral issues
The meeting was held on the eve of the reciprocal visa exemption agreement's entry into force. Both prioritized implementing instruments already signed and exploring tourism, investment, trade and climate change. They also agreed on coordination at the United Nations, the Commonwealth, AOSIS and the organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. [1]
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, merchandise trade between the two countries (Maldives and Seychelles) totalled 0.18 million current USD. Shipments from the first to the second were 0.0047 million; those in the opposite direction, 0.175 million. The difference between the two flows was 0.17 million, in favour of Seychelles. This is a goods balance, not the total balance of the economic relationship: it excludes services, income and transfers. Both directions come from a single customs reporter to avoid adding mirror records. [2]
The partner's share of exports
Sales from Maldives to the partner represented 0.00325% of its worldwide goods exports in 2025. The share compares the same reporter, year and coverage. It measures export concentration, not the percentage of GDP dependent on this relationship. A partner may be important in a specific sector even if its share of total goods trade is small. [2]
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, electrical and electronic equipment stands out in shipments from Seychelles to Maldives, at 0.064 million USD in 2025. The table compares eight selected chapters with the same coverage as the trade total. It is not a complete list or proof that the first item in this selection is the leading product across the entire relationship. A chapter groups numerous goods: machinery and components, for example, do not describe a single business transaction. [3]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — MDV-SYC
mfa.gov.sc · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade; reporters JOR, JPN, KGZ, LBR, LKA, LVA, MDG, MDV, MHL, MNE · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade; reporters LVA, MDA, MDG, MDV, MKD, MLT · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Official series — gdp
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Official series — population
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade; reporters LVA, MDA, MDG, MDV, MKD, MLT
2026-10-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-08 · Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record.