The Maldives has published its first Quarterly Vital Statistics Bulletin, providing comprehensive data on births and deaths for the year. The statistics were compiled jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Maldives Bureau of Statistics.
The ceremony held to launch the bulletin was attended by the Minister of Health, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim. This marks the first time the country has released such quarterly statistics, covering the first three months of 2025.
The Ministry of Health said the bulletin aims to strengthen the civil registration system in the Maldives by providing timely and accurate statistics every three months. Future editions will be more comprehensive, including quarter-to-quarter comparisons and primary causes of death.
At the launch, Minister Nazim stressed the importance of recording and maintaining comprehensive vital statistics in the country. Noting that these statistics are especially important for policymaking, the Minister said it is crucial to have these statistics available in a timely manner.
"It is essential that quarterly statistics on births and deaths are digitised, and this information is stored in an easily accessible manner for all. Previously, data for a given year were only available months or even a year later. Instead, if this information is available four times a year, the data’s reliability is improved. These statistics are important not only to health policies, but also for formulating education, social policies as well as economic policies,” the Minister said.
The main task of compiling such a bulletin is to provide the latest birth and death statistics in the Maldives.
As per the bulletin, a total of 1,435 babies were born in the first quarter of this year, of whom 1,427 survived at birth. A total of 374 people died during the same period, of which 63 percent were men. The majority of deaths occurred among the elderly.
In light of these statistics, key policies and strategies will be formulated to further strengthen the health sector. It will also help plan health programmes and strengthen public health measures.
The quarterly bulletin will also help provide key population-related statistics such as infant mortality, maternal mortality and average life expectancy at birth. In addition, the information will help identify the extent to which the Maldives is achieving its Sustainable Development Goals.