Overview

Australia and Maldives share a vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean region. We established bilateral relations in 1974 and in 2023 Australia opened its High Commission in Malé.

High-level visits and meetings

Recent bilateral visits and meetings include:

• In April 2026, Brigadier General Mohamed Saleem, Commandant of the Maldives Coast Guard, visited Perth to attend the handover ceremony of the Guardian-class Patrol Boat gifted by Australia.
• In December 2025, HE Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Tourism and Environment, met with Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP, during his visit to Townsville, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney under DFAT's Special Visits Program.
• In November 2025, the second bilateral Senior Officials' Talks (SOTs) were held in Canberra. SOTs were led by Ms Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary of DFAT's South and Central Asia Division and HE Dr Hala Hameed, Secretary in Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The dialogue built on parallel inaugural Defence Policy Talks held on 3 November 2025.
• In June 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, met Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef and Minister of Defence, HE Mohammed Ghassan Maumoon.
• In February 2025, Maldives' National Security Advisor HE Ibrahim Latheef met then-Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP, during a visit to Canberra.
• In September 2024, Maldives' President HE Dr Mohamed Muizzu met with Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of UNGA 79 in New York.
• In September 2024, the inaugural bilateral Senior Officials' Talks (SOTs) were held in Malé. SOTs were led by HE Fathimath Inaya, Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, and Ms Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary of DFAT's South and Central Asia Division. The dialogue built on parallel inaugural Defence Policy Talks held on 23 September 2024.
• Between 14 and 21 September 2024, six high level delegates of independent Maldivian commissions visited Melbourne, Canberra and Perth as part of the Canberra Fellowships Program focussed on good governance and integrity. They met the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for the Public Service, the Hon Patrick Gorman MP in Perth.
• In June 2024, HE Mohamed Naseer, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations, met with then-Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP, during his visit to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth under DFAT's Special Visits Program.
• In June 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP, met the Minister of Defence, HE Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, in Singapore during the Shangri-La Dialogue.
• In February 2024, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, met HE Sheryna Abdul Samad, Maldives’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, in the margins of the Indian Ocean Conference in Perth.

Bilateral relations

Australia and Maldives share strong interests in education, maritime security, combatting transnational crime and protecting the environment, in particular oceans. Our engagement extends to human rights, terrorism and governance. Australia works closely with Maldives in UN forums, the Commonwealth and regional institutions such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Australia delivered a Guardian‑class Patrol Boat to the Republic of Maldives in April 2026, representing a significant milestone in the bilateral defence relationship and demonstrates both nations’ commitment to enhancing maritime security across the Indian Ocean.

Bilateral trade has remained steady over the past decade, except for COVID-19 disruptions to the tourism sector. Two-way goods and services trade was $247 million in 2025, of which $100 million was Australian exports. The bulk of bilateral merchandise trade comprised Australian ships and boats, as well as Australian food and beverage exports to the Maldivian tourism industry. Australia's education related travel exports to Maldives were worth $17 million in 2025.

Development assistance

The 2026-27 budget estimate for Australian Official Development Assistance to Maldives is $5.6 million.
Australia's development cooperation with Maldives is delivered primarily through capacity building partnerships. This includes offering direct educational opportunities (since 2009, a total of 341 Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS) have been offered to awardees) and sharing Australian expertise in sustainable environmental resource management.

Australia is working through UN partners to help strengthen civil society and inclusive governance. Australia will have contributed $5.3 million over 14 years (2013 – 2027) to the United Nations Development Program's Integrated Governance Programme in Maldives. Over three phases, the programme has worked directly with government and non-government partners to strengthen transparency and accountability of public institutions, promote equitable access to justice and respect for human rights, support women's participation in decision-making and strengthen civil society. Australia has also worked with the Maldives Prosecutor General's office to strengthen data management and evidence-based decision making the criminal justice system.
Officials from Maldives participate in maritime security programs delivered by Australia. Programs aim to strengthen maritime domain awareness in the Northeast Indian Ocean and promote sustainable use of marine resources and adaptation to climate change.

Australia will provide $5m over 5 years (2025 – 2030) to promote rooftop solar uptake and reef rehabilitation, helping safeguard Maldives' vital marine resources.

Further information on development cooperation in Maldives.