Fifteen government agencies exceeded their allocated budgets in 2024

Fifteen government agencies, including the President’s Office, exceeded their allocated budgets last year, according to statistics released by the Finance Ministry.

President’s Office overspent by MVR 34 million, with total expenditure amounting to MVR 238 million, an increase of MVR 26 million compared to 2023.

Several agencies recorded significant increases in expenditure. The Housing Ministry experienced the largest bump, with its budget increasing by 74 percent reaching MVR 862 million.

Elections Commission’s budget rose by 47 percent, with expenses increased from MVR 94 million in 2023 to MVR 138 million in 2024.

Finance Ministry’s budget increased by 44 percent, with expenditure totaling MVR 2.6 billion last year, marking a 248 percent increase compared to MVR 757 million spent in 2023.

The Defence Ministry’s budget rose by 57 percent, while Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) saw a 69 percent budget increase. The Defence Ministry spent MVR 33 million, while MNDF spent MVR 2.6 billion.

Government agencies that exceeded their budget include:

1. President’s Office

2. Ministry of Local Government and Public Works

3. Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare

4. Ministry of Housing

5. Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation

6. Ministry of Higher Education

7. Ministry of Homeland, Security, and Technology

8. MNDF

9. Aviation Security Command

10. Ministry of Defence

11. Maldives National University

12. Maldives Disaster Management Authority

13. Maldives Police Service

14. Elections Commission

15. Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital

In total, MVR 53 billion was spent across 69 government agencies in 2024, reflecting an increase of MVR 4 billion compared to the MVR 49 billion spent in 2023.

However, despite the budget overruns by some agencies, the overall expenditure remained within the total budget allocated for the year.