Relationship dossier
Maldives
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation on climate, development and security, alongside periods of political strain.
Maldives toward United Kingdom
+25Maldivian governments have engaged the United Kingdom in climate diplomacy and Commonwealth cooperation, and have maintained bilateral engagement on development and security issues.
United Kingdom toward Maldives
+35The United Kingdom has provided development and governance support to the Maldives and has engaged with Maldivian authorities on climate change and security cooperation.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship combines practical cooperation on development, climate and security with periods of political strain linked to Maldivian domestic political developments and Commonwealth engagement. Its cooperative ties are substantial but do not amount to an unusually close or comprehensive partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Maldives and the United Kingdom maintain diplomatic relations and have cooperated on climate change, development and security. The UK has provided development and governance support, while the Maldives has engaged with the UK on climate diplomacy and Commonwealth matters. Cooperation is meaningful but narrower than a close strategic partnership, and bilateral relations have also faced periods of political strain.
Areas of tension
- Political tensions surrounding governance and democratic conditions in the Maldives.
- Periods of strain over the Maldives' engagement with the Commonwealth.
Key developments
The Maldives joined the Commonwealth, providing a framework for multilateral engagement with the United Kingdom.
The Maldives withdrew from the Commonwealth amid disputes over governance and democratic reform.
The Maldives rejoined the Commonwealth after renewed commitments on democratic governance.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and continuity of current UK development and security assistance are unclear.
- The effects of changes in Maldivian governments and Commonwealth engagement on bilateral cooperation are uncertain.