The Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) has begun the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2026 in the Greater Malé Region, with fieldwork taking place from July 11 to 21 to collect data on household income, spending and living conditions.

MBS said survey teams will visit selected households during the exercise and will carry official bureau identification cards. The bureau has appealed for the public's cooperation, noting that households are selected through random sampling and that all information collected will remain confidential in accordance with the Statistics Act.

The survey will gather information on household expenditure, income and consumption patterns to assess average household spending and income distribution. It will also be used to calculate national poverty rates and indicators, update the Consumer Price Index (CPI) based on changing consumption patterns, and provide data for wider economic planning.

In addition to household income and expenditure, the survey will collect information on education, employment, migration, unpaid domestic and care work, utility bills, furniture, health and educational expenses, travel, clothing and footwear, food consumption, loans and credit, as well as how respondents spend their time over a 24-hour period.

The Household Income and Expenditure Survey is conducted every five to six years and was last carried out in 2019. Earlier this year, MBS completed fieldwork in several atolls and cities before extending the survey to the Greater Malé Region. A total of 4,095 households will be surveyed nationwide, including 2,085 households in Malé area and 2,010 households in the atolls.