Maldives

Political relations

France is committed to its relations with the Maldives, and remains attentive to its messages and positions as the voice of small oceanic countries facing major climate and environmental challenges.

Economic relations

Trade between France and the Maldives amounted to €84 million in 2022, compared to €38.1 million the previous year. This trade was mainly driven by French exports in the aviation, food and luxury goods industries. Traditionally, we have a major deficit in our trade in services, led by tourism (deficit of €57 million in 2021). In 2023, France ranked eighth among contributers to tourism in the Maldives, with some 50,000 French tourists travelling there, accounting for 2.6% of all tourists. Several French businesses are present in this sector. French imports from the Maldives (€14 million in 2022) are mainly made up of fishery products. In 2022, the combination of a record high of exports to the Maldives and particularly low imports led to an unprecedented bilateral trade surplus for France, at €56.7 million (following a surplus of €7.7 million in 2021). On average, the French bilateral trade balance was negative over the 2010-2019 decade (-€2.4 million).