The workshop for National CRVS Focal Points is aimed at strengthening capacities for setting national targets and collecting, compiling and…
Maldives
Maldives
The legal framework for civil registration in the Maldives is to be mostly found in the law on birth registration and death certification, enacted in 1993. Two main authorities have responsibilities in the system, the Ministry of Health and the Department of National Registration (DNR). The DNR is responsible for the collection of birth forms and death forms and their entry in the online database, and the Ministry of Health maintains data relating to births and deaths with the information collected from the birth and death form completed at the time of occurrence of a birth and a death. Registration can be locally carried out in 2 hospitals (both in capital city Malé), 6 Regional Hospitals, 13 Atoll Hospitals, 168 Health Centres, 189 Island Councils or 19 Atoll Councils. Vital statistics are the responsibility of the National Bureau of Statistics, a bureau of the Ministry of National Planning and Infrastructure. A CRVS coordination committee was established in 2017, chaired by the State Minister of Health, and with representants from the Department of National Registration, the National Centre for Information Technology, and the National Bureau of Statistics.
Birth registration has a legally defined 7 days limit, with fees applying, whereas death registration has no defined limit, but is necessary to obtain a funeral permit and is free of charge. Birth registration is approximately complete, and death registration was estimated to be around 90% complete in 2014. The establishment of the online birth and death system, in 2010, an online software application built on the Government Network of Maldives or GNM (e-Government platform), has helped a lot in the development of the CRVS system, but some challenges remain.
Some of those include personnel limitations, in terms of numbers, resources and training, which results in inconsistent data quality, most prominently in cause of death coding. The lack of incentive for death registration has also been pointed out as an impediment on the road to getting everyone in the picture.
CRVS Focal Point:
Ms. Fathimath Riyaza, Deputy Statistician, National Bureau of Statistics Ministry of National Planning and Infrastructure
Maldives
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.C
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.D
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.E
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 Targets:
3.A
By...(year), annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision –are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.B
By ...(year), annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.C
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate)
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to 4% per cent.
3.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
3.F
By 2020, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
3.G
By ...(year), key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
3.H
By 2020, an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 is an expression of the internationally accepted principle of the universal coverage of civil registration. The CRVS system should register all vital events occurring in the territory and jurisdiction of the country or area, including among hard-to-reach and marginalized populations.
National Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
BASELINE
2014100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
1.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
MIDTERM
201798.8%
TARGET
2024100%
1.C
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
baseline
2013100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
1.D
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
Note: This country has not submitted estimates for the number of deaths for all years. The level of completeness of death registration was therefore assessed with international estimates for every year, to allow comparison. These measurements are therefore to be interpreted with caution.
baseline
201481%
MIDTERM
201789%
TARGET
2024100%
1.E
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
baseline
2014100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 reflects that CRVS systems provide legal documentation of civil registration to individuals and families for legal and administrative purposes. Legal documentation is strongly linked with a broad range of rights and activities, in particular legal identity. This goal addresses the distinction between the civil registration of a vital event and the possession of formal proof that it took place, in the form of legal documentation.
National Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
baseline
201396.3%
MIDTERM
201794.9%
TARGET
2024100%
2.B
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
baseline
2013100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 highlights the critical importance of civil registration being linked to the production and quality assurance of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events.
National Targets:
3.A
By...(year), annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision –are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
TARGET
Target achieved
3.B
By ...(year), annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
TARGET
Target achieved
3.C
By 2024, at least 100 per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate)
Note: This target was not monitored as part of the Midterm Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
baseline
201485.9%
TARGET
2024100%
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced to 4% per cent.
baseline
201210%
MIDTERM
20176.2%
TARGET
20244%
3.E
By 2024, at least … per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
Note: In light of recent countries’ experiences, Verbal autopsy is not encouraged to be applied to a large population scale, but rather on a representative sample. To reflect this, Target 3E is not anymore monitored by the coverage percentage of Verbal autopsy, but by the use or not of Verbal autopsy and its different applications.
baseline
2014Yes
MIDTERM
No
3.F
By 2020, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
TARGET
2020
3.G
By ...(year), key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
TARGET
Target achieved
3.H
By 2020, an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
TARGET
2020
Maldives
National Coordination Mechanism
Status in Maldives: Complete
Comprehensive Assessment
Status in Maldives: Complete
National Targets for 2024
Status in Maldives: Complete
Monitoring & Reporting Plan
Status in Maldives: Not started
Inequality Assessment
Status in Maldives: Not started
National Strategy
Status in Maldives: Plans
National Focal Point
Status in Maldives: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP - Baseline
Status in Maldives: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP - Midterm
Status in Maldives: Complete
Maldives Events
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with support from the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative (D4H…
24 July 2018 - 25 July 2018
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight August 2018)
The UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (UNICEF-ROSA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission…
26 November 2019 - 28 November 2019
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight November 2019)
The second CR8 meeting was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for…
30 July 2023 - 03 August 2023
In collaboration with Maldives Bureau of Statistics, ESCAP is organizing a national workshop on data analysis and report writing for civil…
03 September 2023 - 07 September 2023
In collaboration with Maldives Bureau of Statistics, ESCAP is organizing a national workshop on data analysis and report writing for civil…
Maldives News
27 August 2025
The Maldives Bureau of Statistics has released a significant new publication, Life Expectancy Series of Maldives 2010–2020, which provides an in-…
04 March 2025
The Maldives government has selected a Thailand-based company to develop a comprehensive digital identification system. The new system will…
25 November 2024
Newsletter Nov. 2024Congratulations to the Maldives on the launch of their first Vital Statistics Report! The milestone event, held on November 18,…
30 August 2024
The deadline for the questionnaire submission is approaching. A Stats Cafe is being held on 2 September to support countries in these efforts.…
27 March 2024
Asia-Pacific Stats Café Series: CRVS Business Process Improvement: Success Stories from Asia-Pacific
ESCAP and United Nations Legal Identity Agenda (UNLIA) are hosting the Asia-Pacific Stats Café Series on "CRVS Business Process Improvement: Success…
31 December 2023
The Government of the Maldives has made a historic investment in the human and technical resources that underpin its national civil registration,…
30 September 2023
ESCAP, in close partnership with the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), organized the second workshop on…
01 September 2023
(Newsletter August 2023)
In collaboration with Maldives Bureau of Statistics, ESCAP organized a 5-day national capacity building workshop on data…
16 February 2023
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight February 2023)
On 1 December 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Global Health Advocacy…
25 October 2022
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight October 2022)
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s (GHAI) Data for Health Team co-hosted a week of civil registration…
20 October 2021
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight October 2022)
The preparations for the Second Ministerial Conference on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific are nearly complete…
26 April 2021
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight April (2) 2021)
Each month, our community newsletter puts a spotlight on one person from Asia-Pacific who has gone above…
22 January 2021
Newsletter: CRVS Insight January 2021
The CRVS Stakeholders of Maldives started working on the improvement of CRVS as part of a larger project on…
20 July 2020
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight July 2020)
The Civil Registration Professionals of South Asia (CR8) is a network dedicated to improving the national CRVS…
22 July 2019
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight July 2019)
A delegation of 8 officials from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics(BBS) visited Maldives National Bureau of…
31 December 2018
A two-day consultative stakeholder workshop on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics was held in the Maldives between 14 – 16 December 2018. The…
14 December 2018
Bangkok, Thailand
For the concluding activity of the collaborative ESCAP-Vital Strategies project to strengthen national capacities in producing and…
30 August 2018
The first meeting of the Civil Registration Professionals of South Asia (CR8) took place between 24 - 25 July in Kathmandu, Nepal. Co-organized by…
03 April 2017
Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national…
08 March 2017
The first meeting of the newly established national CRVS coordination mechanism was held 1 March in Male. The meeting brought together…
25 November 2016
The Statistics Division of ESCAP has sent invitations to National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to express their interest in participating in a project…
29 April 2016
Here you can find recent news, events and blogs relevant for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
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Maldives Resources
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, Report, 2025
This final report on the Life Table Series 2010 - 2020 is the result of strong inter-agency collaboration and reflects a shared commitment to…
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2025
Advocacy Materials, Meeting Documents, Report, 2020
This publication builds on the success of the first meeting of the Civil Registration Professionals of South Asia in July 2018 and expands on the…
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2020
Newsletters, 2019
Articles
23 Member Countries have already reported on their CRVS progress since 2015
South Asia makes huge progress in birth registration, shows…
Report, 2018
Civil registration is a priority on the policy agenda of countries across South Asia. The governments in the region are committed to achieving the…
Meeting Documents, Presentations, 2019
Newsletters, 2019
Articles
Upcoming meeting of the Regional Steering Group
Midterm review questionnaires to be sent to national CRVS focal points…
Country Assessments and Strategies, Report, 2019
The "Status of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in South Asia" report documents the policies, systems and procedures in place for the…
Advocacy Materials, 2017
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics play a key role in facilitating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. A well-functioning CRVS…
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, 2017
Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
New Chair of the Regional Steering Group on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific
Reporting on baselines and national targets for…
Meeting Documents, UN Official Documents, 2016
The seventy-first session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific adopted resolution 71/14 on the Asian and Pacific Civil…
International Standards and Recommendations, UN Official Documents, 2014
Through Commission resolution 69/15, countries in Asia and the Pacific requested that further regional action be taken to support the improvement of…
Country Statements, 2014
Maldives issued this statement in the Ministerial Conference agenda item 6 regarding the State of civil registration and vital statistics in Asia and…
Meeting Documents, 2014
Advocacy Materials, Meeting Documents, 2014
The Ministerial Declaration to "Get every one in the picture' in Asia and the Pacific was made at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration…
Meeting Documents, Report, UN Official Documents, 2014
The Report of the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific gives an overview of the main outcomes of…
Events
News
Resources
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, Report, 2025
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2025
Advocacy Materials, Meeting Documents, Report, 2020