Overview

Australia and Maldives share a commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean region. We established bilateral relations in 1974 and in 2024 mark 50 years of diplomatic ties. Australia opened its High Commission in Malé in 2023.

High-level visits and meetings

Recent bilateral visits and meetings include:

• on 25 September 2024 President His Excellency Dr Mohamed Muizzu met with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, on the sidelines of the UNGA 79 in New York.
• on 24 September 2024, the inaugural Senior Officials’ Talks (SOTs) were held in Malé. SOTs were led by Her Excellency Fathimath Inaya, Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, and Her Excellency Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia. The dialogue built on parallel inaugural Defence Policy Talks held on 23 September 2024.  
• between 14 and 21 September 2024, 3 heads of independent government commissions (and senior officials from 3 others) visited Melbourne, Canberra and Perth as part of the Canberra Fellowships Program focussed on good governance and integrity. They met the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for the Public Service, the Hon Patrick Gorman MP in Perth.
• in June 2024, HE Mohamed Naseer, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations met with Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP during his visit to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth under DFAT’s Special Visits Program.  
• in June 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, met the Minister of Defence, the Hon Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, in Singapore during the Shangri-La Dialogue.
• in February 2024 the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, met the Hon Sheryna Abdul Samad, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, in the margins of the Indian Ocean Conference 2024 in Perth.
• in June 2023 the then Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, the Hon Mohamed Shareef, attended a Cyber Bootcamp at the Australian National University's National Security College in Canberra.
• on 10 February 2023 the then Defence Minister, the Hon Mariya Didi, attended the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Bali Process in Adelaide.

Bilateral relations

Australia and Maldives share strong interests in education, maritime security, trade, combatting transnational crime and protecting the environment, in particular oceans. Our engagement also extends to human rights, terrorism and governance. Australia works closely with Maldives in UN forums, the Commonwealth and regional institutions such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

Bilateral trade has remained steady over the past decade, except for COVID-19 disruptions to the tourism sector. Two-way goods and services trade was $165 million in 2023, of which $85 million was Australian exports. The bulk of bilateral merchandise trade comprises Australian ships and boats, as well as Australian food and beverage exports to the Maldivian tourism industry. Australia's education related travel exports to Maldives were worth $13 million in 2023.

Development assistance

Australia's development cooperation with Maldives is delivered primarily through capacity building partnerships, including by offering direct educational opportunities, sharing Australian expertise in sustainable environmental resource management, and working through UN partners to help strengthen civil society and inclusive governance.

The 2024-25 budget estimate for Australian Official Development Assistance to Maldives is $4.8 million.

Over the last 20 years, the Australian Government has provided Australia Awards Scholarships to study in Australia to over 330 Maldivian citizens, including more than 180 women.

Australia has contributed $3.8 million over 10 years (2013 - 2023) to the United Nations Development Program's Integrated Governance Programme in Maldives. Over three phases, the programme has worked directly with government and non-government partners to strengthen transparency and accountability of public institutions, promote equitable access to justice and respect for human rights, support women's participation in decision-making and strengthen civil society. Australia has also worked with the Maldives Prosecutor General's office to strengthen data management and evidence-based decision making the criminal justice system.

Officials from Maldives participate in a range of maritime security programs delivered by Australia. Programs aim to strengthen maritime security and maritime domain awareness in the Northeast Indian Ocean and promote sustainable use of marine resources and adaptation to climate change.

Through the CSIRO, Australia worked with the Maldives Marine Research Institute to train and empower local communities on methods for coral larval restoration techniques, helping safeguard Maldives' vital marine resources.

Further information on development cooperation in Maldives.