Charting a Safer Journey: Maldives' Commitment to Migration Governance

Labour migration plays a central role in the Maldives, with tens of thousands of migrant workers contributing to key sectors of the economy. In 2023 alone, over 62,000 foreign workers entered the country—mostly from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. However, serious challenges persist. Only 36% of the 139,000 work permits issued had corresponding fee payments, pointing to a significant number of undocumented or inactive workers. By December 2023, more than 90,000 Bangladeshi nationals were residing in the Maldives. In response, the government launched “Operation Kurangi” in 2024, registering biometric data from over 43,000 migrants and deporting more than 6,000 undocumented individuals by early 2025.

Amid these pressing issues, the Government of Maldives (GoM) has been working to strengthen its migration governance framework in line with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since endorsing the GCM in 2018, the Maldives has made gradual progress, supported by the launch of the UN Network on Migration in 2021 to coordinate efforts and provide technical support.

A major milestone is the 2024–2028 Labour Migration Country Action Plan, developed by the UN Country Team (UNCT), which outlines six strategic workstreams and promotes a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach.

In April 2025, a high-level UN workshop convened national and international stakeholders to align these efforts with future planning. By integrating migration into national frameworks like the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2027–2031), the Maldives moves closer to becoming a GCM champion country and a model for rights-based, sustainable migration governance.