MALDIVES TO GAIN US$112 MILLION GDP BOOST IF IT CAPITALISES ON AI REVOLUTION – AS MAJOR STUDY HIGHLIGHTS YOUTH JOBS OPPORTUNITY

• The Maldives ranks 28th of 56 Commonwealth countries, scoring 44.9 out of 100 against  the study's youth AI readiness benchmark of 53. 
• The research identifies a potential AI-related increase in the level of GDP of US$112  million after ten years, rising to US$170 million in its optimistic scenario. 
• The Maldives government has launched an AI skills programme targeting 225,000 people  by 2028, alongside a new national AI Lab to support the development of the technology. 
• Drawing on 1,128 research sources, the Ayre Index examines the conditions affecting  approximately 732 million young people across all the Commonwealth’s countries.

St John’s, 5 November 2026: Artificial intelligence could make the Maldives’ economy US$112  million larger after ten years, according to major new research that also reveals the barriers young  people face in making the most of the technology. 

The Ayre Index, launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and  Barbuda, places the Maldives 28th out of 56 Commonwealth countries for youth AI readiness. It  scores 44.9 out of 100, below the study’s benchmark of 53. Only 15 Commonwealth countries meet that benchmark.  

The Maldives has an important technological advantage, with both electricity access and 4G  network coverage recorded as universal. Young people were also shown to be widely connected  in the latest qualifying phone-ownership and internet-use surveys. But those surveys date from  2016, long before the recent spread of generative AI, and cannot establish how young Maldivians  use new technology today. 

Language presents another challenge. Research by the Ayre Think Tank, founded by Antiguan Canadian philanthropist Calvin Ayre, identifies limited AI resources for Dhivehi, potentially  restricting how effectively young Maldivians can use the technology for education, business and  everyday services. Although local developers are responding, for example by the Maldivian AI  platform Thaana.ai introduced new Dhivehi-language voice technology, this raises questions  about how effectively international AI tools can support everyone for education, businesses and  everyday public services. 

The employment and education findings are mixed. In a 2019 survey, 26.2% of young people  were outside work, education or training, although a comparatively high share of employed adults  aged 25 to 29 held higher-skilled jobs. Teacher training is widespread, but researchers found little  direct evidence about AI teaching.  

The economic stakes are considerable for the Maldives, home to approximately 148,700 young  people aged 15 to 29. Applying economic scenarios developed by the International Monetary  Fund to the country’s GDP, the researchers calculate that AI could increase the level of the  country’s GDP by US$112 million after ten years in the moderate case. The conservative estimate  is US$54 million, rising to US$170 million under the optimistic scenario.  

Calvin Ayre, founder of the Ayre Think Tank, said: “I’ve spent my life in businesses where new  technology changes everything, and I know you can’t stand still. AI is going to change how we  work, how we do business and how wealth is created. But this is not a race that only the biggest  or richest countries can win. What matters is giving young people the skills and the chance to get  ahead – whether to start businesses, find jobs or build something for themselves. Some  Commonwealth countries are ahead, others have catching up to do. Nobody can afford to be  complacent. That’s why we created this Index. It shows countries where they stand, what they’re  getting right and where they need to do better. Governments now have to decide what they’re  going to do about it.” 

The Maldives is already taking significant steps to turn its technological strengths into economic  opportunities. In July 2026, the government launched Digital for All, a nationwide programme offering free digital and AI training in Dhivehi and English, with an ambition to reach 225,000  people by 2028. Two months earlier, the country's first national AI Lab was established to support  the development and practical application of the technology. Together, these initiatives will help  young Maldivians acquire the skills to find better jobs, develop businesses and benefit from AI in  sectors such as tourism and financial services. 

The White Paper identifies five priorities: affordable and reliable access to technology; education  that develops practical skills; stronger routes from training into employment and enterprise; AI  tools suited to local languages and needs; and safeguards that enable young people to question  automated decisions. 

It calls on governments, educators and development partners to better understand the particular  barriers young people face in each country before deciding where investment can make the  greatest impact. 

Professor C. Justin Robinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of the University  of the West Indies, Five Islands Campus, said: “We need to make sure that the next generation  will be able to do more than just consume AI products made elsewhere. Access must come with  its own agency and a real equitable stake in how these systems are governed. Young people  need to be equipped to question these new tools, to improve them and to be supported in building  alternatives suited to their own needs. Whether that happens, will depend on choices made now.  This index gives us a clearer view of where those choices are most urgent. We should use it.”