This article covers cultural and educational links between India and Maldives, scholarships and institutional partnerships, tourism between the two countries and the Indian community in Maldives. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of June 2026, and community and tourism figures are as of that brief.

Shared heritage

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity. During his State Visit to Maldives in June 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India's support for the restoration of Hukuru Miskiiy in Malé.

Education and scholarships

The brief describes India as a traditional partner for Maldives in human resource development across sectors for decades. Several Maldivian youths take up higher education in Indian universities every year, and the brief notes that Indian teachers have been popular in Maldivian schools across the islands for decades.

India has traditionally offered a substantial number of scholarships of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to Maldivian youth, including 34+ for 2023-24. Since 2012-13, more than 170 Maldivian students have benefited from ICCR scholarships. Training under the ITEC programme is covered in this guide's development partnership article.

Institutional partnerships

The brief states that, over around 5 years, institutional linkages between counterpart organisations in the two countries have increased, adding heft to capacity building and training initiatives. MoUs focusing on human resource development include those between:

  • the Civil Services Commission (CSC) and the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), on civil services
  • Maldives Customs Service (MCS) and CBIC India, on customs capacity building
  • the Lok Sabha and the Majlis, on parliamentary cooperation
  • the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) of Maldives and the National Judicial Academy of India (NJAI)
  • the Election Commission of India and the Elections Commission of Maldives
  • Public Service Media (PSM) and Prasar Bharati
  • the Auditor General's Office (AGO) in the Maldives and the CAG
  • Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Islamic University of Maldives (IUM)
  • High Education Network of Maldives (HNM) and National Knowledge Network of India (NKN), a peering agreement
  • Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNA), Hyderabad
  • NIRDPR, India and the Local Government Authority, Maldives, on training members of local councils and Women Development Committees
  • INCOIS, India and the Ministry of Fisheries, Maldives, on potential fishing zone forecasts, data sharing and marine research
  • NDMA, India and NDMA, Maldives, on disaster management
  • CERT-India and NCIT, Maldives, on cyber security
  • the Judicial Services Commission of Maldives and the Ministry of Law & Justice, India, on judicial cooperation
  • the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Maldives (CA Maldives)

The brief also lists MoUs on sports and youth affairs and on immigration cooperation.

Tourism

The brief states that the Maldivian economy depends on tourism, its major source of foreign exchange earnings and government revenue. Tourism directly accounts for about a quarter of the GDP of Maldives and, in terms of direct employment, for more than a third of job opportunities for Maldivians. Including allied sectors, its share of total employment, direct and indirect, would rise to nearly 70%.

India's position among source markets has changed from year to year:

  • In 2025, India was the 6th largest source of tourist arrivals in Maldives, with 1,31,625 arrivals.
  • In 2024, India was the 3rd largest source market, with a market share of 7.6%.
  • In 2023, India was the largest source market, with over 209,193 Indian tourist arrivals and over 11% of market share.
  • From 2021 to 2023, India was the top market, with over 2.91 Lakh, 2.41 Lakh and 2.09 Lakh arrivals and market shares of 23%, 14.4% and 11.1% respectively.
  • In the pandemic year 2020, India was the largest source market, with nearly 63,000 Indian visitors.

The Indian community in Maldives

As of the brief, the Indian expatriate community in Maldives numbers approximately 60,000. The brief notes a strong presence in the health and education sectors: most expatriate teachers in Maldives are Indian nationals, spread across atolls and islands, and a large number of doctors, nurses, paramedics and pharmacists are Indian, mostly at middle and senior levels.

Indian nationals also work as technicians, engineers, managers and accountants, and in hospitality and tourism across islands and resorts. Indian unskilled workers are mostly engaged in construction, and some Indian businesspersons have long run enterprises in Maldives. The brief states that the community lives and co-exists peacefully with Maldivians and other expatriates, with no major issues being faced.

Indian expatriates and Maldivians often organise social and cultural events in association with the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) in Malé. The Indian Mission engages the community through programmes held on its premises and elsewhere. Its consular outreach is described in this guide's practical article.