The Maldives has come top of a survey of countries most reliant on tourism.
The tiny island nation, which has a population of just 430,000, receives 1.5 million visitors a year as of 2018, and reportedly generates 38.92 percent of its GDP from tourism.
A significant number of the top 25 countries in the poll were island nations, which face particular difficulties in the coming decades as climate change affects both the environment and international travel industry. Rising sea levels could wreak havoc on the Maldives in particular, which has a highest elevation of just 5 metres.
The top 25 countries were:
| Ranking | Country | % of GDP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maldives | 38.92 |
| 2 | British Virgin Islands | 32.96 |
| 3 | Macao | 28.05 |
| 4 | Aruba | 27.64 |
| 5 | Seychelles | 25.74 |
| 6 | The Bahamas | 19.23 |
| 7 | Vanuatu | 18.16 |
| 8 | Cabo Verde | 17.66 |
| 9 | St. Lucia | 15.61 |
| 10 | Belize | 14.95 |
| 11 | Fiji | 14.09 |
| 12 | Malta | 14.08 |
| 13 | Cambodia | 13.72 |
| 14 | Barbados | 13.13 |
| 15 | Antigua and Barbuda | 13.09 |
| 16 | Dominica | 12.33 |
| 17 | Montenegro | 11.67 |
| 18 | Croatia | 11 |
| 19 | Sao Tome and Principe | 10.63 |
| 20 | Jamaica | 10.48 |
| 21 | Thailand | 9.82 |
| 22 | Georgia | 9.36 |
| 23 | Philippines | 8.7 |
| 24 | Kiribati | 8.66 |
| 25 | Iceland | 8.63 |
