The Maldives Bureau of Statistics is set to expand the nationwide Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) to three additional atolls this week, including Addu City.
The survey, which is conducted every five to six years, began in February and has already completed two rounds of data collection in Kaafu and Meemu atoll. After launching in the islands last month, the agency is now preparing to commence field work in Addu City, Laamu and Noonu atolls, with data‑collection activities slated to continue through 28 June in the selected islands.
The HIES aims to generate a comprehensive picture of household economic conditions in the Maldives. Its primary objectives include identifying average household expenditures and spending patterns across various categories, formulating the country’s official Poverty Standard, revising the weightings of the Market Price Index (CPI), and developing metrics that reveal the gap between average household income and expenditure distribution.
To achieve this, enumerators will record weekly expenditure as well as broader expenses covering three‑, six‑ and twelve‑month periods, gathering data on general household characteristics, living standards, property ownership, employment, income, medical costs, transportation, and other living‑related expenses.
A total of 4,095 households will be surveyed – 2,085 in the capital Male’ and 2,010 across the atolls. The Bureau has urged local officials to provide easy access to households to ensure a smooth data‑gathering process. All information collected will be treated as strictly confidential—only trained and authorised officers will handle the data, in line with the Maldives’ statistical privacy standards.
The findings from the survey will be reviewed and published by the Maldives Bureau of Statistics, providing policymakers with up‑to‑date insights to guide poverty‑reduction strategies, inflation monitoring, and social‑support programmes.