Heard and McDonald Islands vs Maldives
Heard and McDonald Islands is 23% larger than Maldives.
Heard and McDonald IslandsMaldivesHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Maldives · Equal-area projection
1.23×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 1.23× the area of Maldives.
 Heard and McDonald Islands |  Maldives | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaHeard and McDonald Islands: 1.23× the area | 368 km² | 298 km²#187 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| Population | — | 529,676#167 of 194 · 2025 |
| Density | — | 1,777 / km²#6 of 194 |
| Urban population | — | 43%#145 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rate | — | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growth | — | +0.35%#141 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rate | — | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rate | — | 2.4 per 1,000#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15 | — | 19.0%#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65 | — | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migration | — | −4.3 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | — | 0.12 per 1,000#113 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | — | 81.3 years#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 2.24 per 1,000#80 of 178 · 2019 |
| University enrolment | — | 48.5%#77 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.766#92 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $12,950#72 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDP | — | $7.74B2025 |
| Income group | — | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $28,555#72 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growth | — | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | — | 4.5%#106 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 29.3#125 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 11.3% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 71.8% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 11.1% of GDP#12 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 78.2% of GDP#16 of 168 · 2024 |
| Internet users | — | 85%#78 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | — | 148 per 100#28 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | — | 13% of land#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | — | 3.57 t a year#73 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energy | — | 1.2%#172 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricity | — | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 11.2 µg/m³#145 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected land | — | 3.0% of land#176 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 13.1% of land#79 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 15.7%#74 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 1,972 mm#35 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | — | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruption | — | −0.33#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of Australia | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territory | Presidential republic |
| Capital | — | Male |
| Currency | — | Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) |
| Official languages | English | Maldivian |
| Traffic drives | — | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+5 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | — | +960 |
| Region | Seven seas (open ocean) | Southern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Heard and McDonald Islands sits at about 53° S and is stretched to 2.77× its true area; Maldives at 4° N is stretched to 1.0×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Maldives. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Heard and McDonald Islands bigger than Maldives?
- Yes. Heard and McDonald Islands is 23% larger than Maldives. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Maldives covers 298 km².
- How many times does Maldives fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
- About 1.2 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 1.23× the area of Maldives.
- Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Maldives look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Heard and McDonald Islands is drawn about 2.77× its true area there and Maldives about 1.0×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Maldives. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- What kind of government do Heard and McDonald Islands and Maldives have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Heard and McDonald Islands: dependent territory; Maldives: presidential republic.