The number of foreigners in the youth population of the Maldives is higher than that of the locals, according to statistics.
The data was released by the National Bureau of Statistics on the occasion of International Youth Day.
According to statistics, the population of Maldives will be 579,330 at the end of this year. Forty-five percent of the population in the Maldives are youth. Among this percentage, 47 percent are locals, while 53 percent are foreigners.
The youth population - those between 18 to 35 years of age- in the Maldives is 258,923. Most foreigners working in the Maldives are within the youth group. Most of the foreign workers work in the construction sector.
Some agencies estimate that the number of illegal immigrants in the Maldives would not be less than half a million. Steps have been taken to resolve the issue but without much result.
