Maldivians face disproportionately high costs for healthy food compared to global averages: FAO
6 އޯގަސްޓު 2026 | ބުރާސްފަތި 21:19A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that the daily cost of a healthy diet in the Maldives stands at $4.45, surpassing both global and regional averages. Over the past four years, food prices have surged by more than 31 percent, with statistical data indicating that inflation rates for essential goods are significantly higher in the administrative atolls compared to the capital, Male'.
Male' City Local Market. | Alamy
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has revealed that the cost for Maldivians to access a healthy diet is significantly high compared to global averages.
According to the "State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024" report, a Maldivian must spend a minimum of $4.45 per day to afford a healthy diet. Even when calculated at the official exchange rate, this amounts to approximately 69 Rufiyaa per person.
Meanwhile, the report highlights that the global minimum cost of a healthy diet reached 4.28 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) dollars per person per day in 2022.
The "Cost of a Healthy Diet" indicator represents the estimated minimum daily expenditure required per person to purchase the most affordable locally available food items that constitute a nutritionally balanced diet within a given country.
According to the report, the cost of a healthy diet in the Maldives is projected to reach $4.45 (PPP) per person per day in 2025. This figure exceeds both the global average of $4.28 and the South Asian regional average of $4.18. Analyzing the local trends, the cost has surged from $3.39 in 2021 to $4.30 in 2024, marking an increase of more than 31 percent in food prices within the Maldives over the past four years.
Monthly government statistics consistently show a steady rise in food prices. According to the Maldives Bureau of Statistics, the primary driver of inflation in June was the continued increase in the cost of food items.
According to statistics from the Maldives Bureau of Statistics, food prices, including fish, rose by 1.90 percent in June, marking a 7.28 percent increase compared to the same period last year. A breakdown of the rising costs shows that vegetable prices saw the most significant surge, climbing by 18.87 percent.
The price of onions nearly doubled in June, surging by 91.83 percent compared to May. Additionally, the prices of carrots rose by 14.8 percent, potatoes by 11.4 percent, and tomatoes by 10 percent. Furthermore, the price of chicken eggs increased by 6.6 percent, while flavored milk packets saw a 2.5 percent rise.
On the other hand, statistics indicate that the rate of inflation in the atolls remains higher than in the capital, Malé. While prices in Malé rose by 0.2 percent in June, the figure stood at 0.4 percent in the atolls. In terms of annual inflation, Malé recorded a rate of 2 percent, whereas the rate in the atolls climbed to 3.5 percent.
