Independent research firms
Public Policy Lab is an independent research firm and consultancy in Hulhumalé. It led the research and principal authorship of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s Cost of Politics in the Maldives, is lead consultant on UNICEF’s Child and Family Well-Being programme, and built the Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare’s KnowHow knowledge base. It also publishes a self-funded research programme – measurement studies, policy briefs, and data tools – free on this site. A handful of other independent firms and consultancies take on commissioned policy research, often as the local partner to the international organisations below. Working with Public Policy Lab sets out the track record in full.
Government bodies
The Maldives Bureau of Statistics runs the census and the major national surveys, including the Household Income and Expenditure Survey. The Maldives Monetary Authority maintains research and forecasting on the economy. Ministries carry their own policy units, and bodies such as the Local Government Authority and the Family Protection Authority produce research within their mandates.
Universities
The Maldives National University and Villa College publish research and theses across social policy, education, health, and governance, and university researchers partner with agencies on national studies – the Family Protection Authority and MNU, for example, have worked together on a national baseline study on family wellbeing.
International organisations
UNICEF, UNDP, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank commission and publish Maldives-specific research through their country programmes – recent examples include UNICEF’s 2025 Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents and the ADB’s 2025 Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Diagnostic. This work is usually delivered with local research partners, which is where the independent firms above come in.
Civil society
Organisations such as Transparency Maldives produce sustained research within their fields, including election observation reports covering every recent national election.
Key facts
- Policy research in the Maldives comes from government bodies, universities, international organisations’ country programmes, civil society, and independent firms.
- Public Policy Lab publishes a self-funded research programme free on its site alongside commissioned work for WFD, UNICEF, and government ministries.
- International organisations usually deliver Maldives research with local research partners.
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