Population: July 1994 estimate 252,077, with a growth rate of 3.6 percent. High birth rate of 44 per 1,000 in 1994.

Ethnic Groups: Homogeneous mixture of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, Australasian, and African groups also small group of Indian traders.

Languages: Maldivian Dhivehi is common language with loanwords from Arabic, Hindi, and Tamil.

Religion: Sunni Muslim apart from Shia Muslim Indian traders.

Education: Primary (classes one through five), secondary (classes six through ten), and higher secondary (classes eleven and twelve) noncompulsory. Most students attend private Quranic schools that charge fee in contrast to free government schools. No university but some vocational education. Overall literacy claimed as 98.2 percent in 1991.

Health: Waterborne and tropical diseases prevalent because of inadequate drinking water supply. In 1994 life expectancy at birth estimated at: overall 64.7 years, 66.1 for females, 63.2 years for males. In 1994 infant mortality 53.8 per 1,000 live births.

Data as of August 1994