The Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) has announced that the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) will begin on Saturday in Addu City, Laamu Atoll and Noonu Atoll as the nationwide survey expands to additional regions.

Conducted every five to six years, the survey gathers information on household income, expenditure and living conditions across the Maldives. The previous Household Income and Expenditure Survey was carried out in 2019.

The current survey commenced in February with fieldwork in Malé and is being conducted in phases across the country. Two rounds of data collection have already been completed in Malé, while survey work has also concluded in selected islands of Kaafu and Meemu atolls.

 Fieldwork in Addu City, Laamu Atoll and Noonu Atoll will continue until 28 June in selected households.

The survey is designed to provide key data used in national planning and policymaking. Its objectives include measuring average household expenditure and spending patterns, updating the national poverty line, revising the weighting used in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and assessing the distribution of household income and expenditure across the country.

Survey officers will collect information on household spending over weekly, three-month, six-month and 12-month periods. The survey will also gather data on household composition, employment, income, assets, living standards, healthcare costs and travel-related expenses.

The MBS expects to collect information from 4,095 households nationwide, including 2,085 households in Malé and other cities, and 2,010 households in the atolls.

The bureau has called on selected households to cooperate with authorised survey officers by providing the requested information. It also assured the public that all information collected during the survey will remain confidential and will only be handled by trained and authorised officials.

Following the completion of data collection and analysis, the Maldives Bureau of Statistics will publish the survey findings in a final report.