Tap water in Maldives

Not safe to drink

This reflects the CDC's travel health guidance for Maldives; no WHO coverage figure is published for this country. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Maldives.

Numbeo

38.64/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Low”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

Tap water in Maldives is all treated rainwater and it’s not advisable to drink it, not least as it has generally got an unpleasant taste. Nearly all resorts supply purified drinking water to their guests for free – some cheaper resorts make you pay for it, though. Either way, it’s a far better option.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 482$ a year in Maldives, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in Maldives

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in Asia