President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that the government will forming a policy regarding immigration into the Maldives and migration of citizens within the islands.

Speaking at Thursday night’s event to celebrate World Population Day, President Solih said that 533,000 people will be living in Maldives by year’s end, and that 30 percent of them will be Bangladeshi nationals who contribute to the development of the country’s economy.

The President expressed concern that the state is losing a large percentage of its income, and said that the migration policy is meant to make better use of expatriates and Maldivians moving to different islands.

He said that every nation’s treasure is its citizens and so the government wishes to provide the wealth created by Maldives to its people and that it was also important to develop them into educated, innovative, and capable citizens.