E-commerce in the Maldives

E-commerce

Internet access

The Maldives have a population of around 520,000, with an internet penetration rate of 63.2% as of 2022. According to the latest data by Ookla, the median mobile internet connection speed via cellular networks is 48.31 Mbps and the median fixed internet connection speed is 10.57 Mbps. Around 407,000 people use social media (although social media users may not represent unique individuals), with Facebook being the main platform (311 thousand users - 37.7% female, 62.3% male), followed by Instagram (210 thousand users - 45.5% female, 54.5% male) and LinkedIn (120 thousand users - 22.5% female, 77.5% male – Data Reportal). Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 810 thousand cellular mobile connections in the Maldives at the start of 2022.

E-commerce market

Although precise figures are not available, widespread internet usage is underpinning growth in the Maldivian e-commerce market, which comprises domestic online platforms and marketplaces, as well as online transactions between offshore sellers and foreign tourists for services ultimately consumed in the country. Survey-based estimates of average growth in e-commerce sales for Maldives comparator countries suggest a marked upward trend in recent years, particularly during the pandemic.
According to the World Bank, over the last decade digitally-delivered services more than doubled as a share of total trade in services for the Maldives (a growth rate twice as large as the average for other small island developing states), and now account for almost half of all service trade in the country. It mostly comprises B2B services.