National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed the national poverty rate is at 8.2%.
The national poverty line is set at half the median of total expenditure in the consumption aggregate which is USD 4.79, according to Poverty and Inequality chapter of Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2016 released by NBS.
HIES collects information on the income and expenditure of households in Maldives. It also obtains information on household characteristics, demographic and socio-economic characteristics and access and ownership of consumer durables. These include aspects such as education, migration, employment, marriage and fertility of household members. 1.7% of the population in the capital, Male' City, is poor while the poverty population in the atolls is recorded at 12.8%, according to the aforementioned survey of NBS.
In the survey, the national poverty line shows the largest poverty population is in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and lowest is in Vaavu Atoll.