Zakat House Disburses $2.5 Million to Combat Poverty in 2025 Report

The Maldives Zakat House has released its 2025 Annual Report, disclosing that USD 2.48 million was disbursed from the Zakat Fund to support the poor and vulnerable across the archipelago over the past year. The report provides a comprehensive breakdown of fund allocations across the eight canonical categories of zakat. The largest portion of the spending, totaling USD 871,595, was directed toward activities 'in the cause of Allah' (Fi Sabilillah). Other significant expenditures included USD 64,850 for debt relief and USD 77,821 to assist stranded travelers (Ibn al-Sabil). Administrative costs for Zakat officials (Amilun) amounted to USD 273,022. Medical assistance emerged as the most critical area of need among individual applications. Out of 2,111 applications processed by the Zakat Administrative Committee, 1,391 were approved for a total of USD 1.50 million. Cancer treatment received the highest medical allocation at USD 337,222, followed by organ transplants (USD 226,977) and neurological diseases (USD 103,761). Support also extended to patients battling lung, heart, and kidney diseases. The organization's revenue streams showed significant contributions from the community. Zakat al-Fitr generated USD 880,025, which was distributed to 2,772 individuals, with each recipient receiving USD 291.83. The larger Zakat al-Mal fund saw an inflow of USD 6.95 million; from this, USD 924,773 was distributed among 2,852 registered poor individuals at a rate of USD 324.25 per person. To improve the targeting of aid, the Zakat House relaunched the Registry of Poor and Needy under an updated policy. By the end of the year, the registry received 165 applications from the Greater Male' area and 311 from the outlying atolls, bringing the total number of registered beneficiaries to 2,852.