Economic Minister Saeed revealed that 50 percent of the Maldivian job market is held by expatriates.
Speaking in a ceremony held to inaugurate ‘’2000 Sales Muvahzafun’’ he said that a large part of the population is foreigners and that there are 81,000 expatriates according to regulations and an addiction 35,000 illegal immigrants.
The Minister also said that half of the job market is occupied by foreigners who make an average of $200 per month leading to a loss of $1.28 billion from the country annually. He estimates that the number will rise to 6 Billion in the next 5 years.
Immigration deported 8,800 expatriates from the country in 2014. 282 expatriates were also banned from returning to Maldives.