Maldives has reduced the proportion of foreign residents without complete biometric identification to around one percent, placing the country alongside Singapore and the United Arab Emirates at a level described by the government as a significant global milestone.

Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan outlined the progress while addressing the High Council of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), noting that expatriates make up approximately one-third of the country's population.

When the current administration took office, government records showed 295,678 expatriates had authorization to reside in the Maldives.

However, only 22,700 had been fingerprinted and directly identified through government records.

The government subsequently launched an extensive biometric registration drive, collecting fingerprints and other identification information from foreign residents across the country.

Authorities have now obtained biometric information for approximately 294,000 expatriates, bringing coverage to around 95 percent of the registered foreign population.

After accounting for individuals who have since left the country, only 1,102 foreign residents currently in the Maldives remain without complete biometric records.

The government says four percent of the previously unverified population has been confirmed as no longer residing in the Maldives, leaving approximately one percent of expatriates currently in the country without recorded fingerprints and photographs.

The administration has identified foreign population management as a national security priority, particularly amid longstanding concerns over undocumented and irregularly residing expatriates.

Authorities are continuing efforts to strengthen the management of work permits and regularly verify the validity of immigration documentation.

The government says these measures are intended to establish a more permanent system for monitoring the foreign population, addressing irregular migration and strengthening national security.

According to the government, maintaining the unidentified foreign population at approximately one percent places the Maldives among only three countries worldwide to have reached this level, alongside Singapore and the UAE.