The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has stated the population of Male’ is expected to continue increasing in the coming years, despite the increasing rent in the capital.
Speaking to PSM News, Chief Statistician of NBS Aishath Shahudha said the latest projections made based on the gathered data suggests the population of the capital will continue increasing in the coming years. As such, Shahudha noted people from the atolls are expected to migrate to Male’ in large numbers despite the increasing rent in the capital. She said the reason for the continued migration is the lack of development in essential services in the atolls, such as education, healthcare and employment opportunities.
Speaking further, Shahudha stated one of the main challenges faced in developing the atolls is the geographical formation of the country. As such, she noted the scattered geographical formation of the Maldives makes it difficult to distribute fundamental services across the nation equally.
The chief statistician further stated the expatriate population is also expected to increase in the coming years. She said the inflow of expatriates can only be controlled with very strong policy measures.
NBS stated the survey carried out every 10 years to assess the changes in living conditions of the population will be carried out in 2022. NBS stated special efforts will be undertaken to gather data on the changes brought to housing conditions following the housing projects carried out over the years, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.