Introduction
Background
Although known to Arab and European sailors since at least the early 1500s, the island of Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638 when the Dutch established a settlement named in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU. Their presence led to the rapid disappearance of the flightless dodo bird that has since become one of the most well-known examples of extinction in modern times. The Dutch abandoned their financially distressed settlement in 1710, although a number of formerly enslaved people remained. In 1722, the French established what would become a highly profitable settlement focused on sugar cane plantations that were reliant on the labor of enslaved people brought to Mauritius from other parts of Africa. In the 1790s, the island had a brief period of autonomous rule when plantation owners rejected French control because of laws ending slavery that were temporarily in effect during the French Revolution. Britain captured the island in 1810 as part of the Napoleonic Wars but kept most of the French administrative structure, which remains to this day in the form of the country’s legal codes and widespread use of the French Creole language. The abolition of slavery in 1835 -- later than most other British colonies -- led to increased reliance on contracted laborers from the Indian subcontinent to work on plantations. Today their descendants form the majority of the population. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base and later an air station, and it played a role during World War II in anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as in the collection of signals intelligence.
Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968 as a Parliamentary Republic and has remained a stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record. The country also attracted considerable foreign investment and now has one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Mauritius’ often-fractious coalition politics has been dominated by two prominent families, each of which has had father-son pairs who have been prime minister over multiple, often nonconsecutive, terms. Seewoosagur RAMGOOLAM (1968-76) was Mauritius’ first prime minister, and he was succeeded by Anerood JUGNAUTH (1982-95, 2000-03, 2014-17); his son Navin RAMGOOLAM (1995-2000, 2005-14); and Paul Raymond BERENGER (2003-05), the only non-Hindu prime minister of post-independence Mauritius. In 2017, Pravind JUGNAUTH became prime minister after his father stepped down short of completing his term, and he was elected in his own right in 2019.
Mauritius claims the French island of Tromelin and the British Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory). Since 2017, Mauritius has secured favorable UN General Assembly resolutions and an International Court of Justice advisory opinion relating to its sovereignty dispute with the UK.
Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.
Geography
Location
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, about 800 km (500 mi) east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates
20 17 S, 57 33 E
Map references
Africa
Area
total: 2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
comparison ranking: total 180
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Coastline
177 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
Climate
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Elevation
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Natural resources
arable land, fish
Land use
agricultural land: 43.8% (2018 est.)
arable land: 38.4% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 3.4% (2018 est.)
forest: 17.3% (2018 est.)
other: 38.9% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land
158 sq km (2020)
Population distribution
population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; population on Rodrigues Island is spread across the island with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast as shown in this population distribution map
Natural hazards
cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Geography - note
the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; former home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species
People and Society
Population
total: 1,310,504
male: 639,270
female: 671,234 (2024 est.)
comparison rankings: female 156; male 159; total 159
Nationality
noun: Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian
Ethnic groups
Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian
note: Mauritius has not had a question on ethnicity on its national census since 1972
Languages
Creole 86.5%, Bhojpuri 5.3%, French 4.1%, two languages 1.4%, other 2.6% (includes English, one of the two official languages of the National Assembly, which is spoken by less than 1% of the population), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)
Religions
Hindu 48.5%, Roman Catholic 26.3%, Muslim 17.3%, other Christian 6.4%, other 0.6%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)
Demographic profile
Mauritius has transitioned from a country of high fertility and high mortality rates in the 1950s and mid-1960s to one with among the lowest population growth rates in the developing world today. After World War II, Mauritius’ population began to expand quickly due to increased fertility and a dramatic drop in mortality rates as a result of improved health care and the eradication of malaria. This period of heightened population growth – reaching about 3% a year – was followed by one of the world’s most rapid birth rate declines.
The total fertility rate fell from 6.2 children per women in 1963 to 3.2 in 1972 – largely the result of improved educational attainment, especially among young women, accompanied by later marriage and the adoption of family planning methods. The family planning programs’ success was due to support from the government and eventually the traditionally pronatalist religious communities, which both recognized that controlling population growth was necessary because of Mauritius’ small size and limited resources. Mauritius’ fertility rate has consistently been below replacement level since the late 1990s, a rate that is substantially lower than nearby countries in southern Africa.
With no indigenous population, Mauritius’ ethnic mix is a product of more than two centuries of European colonialism and continued international labor migration. Sugar production relied on slave labor mainly from Madagascar, Mozambique, and East Africa from the early 18th century until its abolition in 1835, when slaves were replaced with indentured Indians. Most of the influx of indentured labor – peaking between the late 1830s and early 1860s – settled permanently creating massive population growth of more than 7% a year and reshaping the island’s social and cultural composition. While Indians represented about 12% of Mauritius’ population in 1837, they and their descendants accounted for roughly two-thirds by the end of the 19th century. Most were Hindus, but the majority of the free Indian traders were Muslims.
Mauritius again turned to overseas labor when its success in clothing and textile exports led to a labor shortage in the mid-1980s. Clothing manufacturers brought in contract workers (increasingly women) from China, India, and, to a lesser extent Bangladesh and Madagascar, who worked longer hours for lower wages under poor conditions and were viewed as more productive than locals. Downturns in the sugar and textile industries in the mid-2000s and a lack of highly qualified domestic workers for Mauritius’ growing services sector led to the emigration of low-skilled workers and a reliance on skilled foreign labor. Since 2007, Mauritius has pursued a circular migration program to enable citizens to acquire new skills and savings abroad and then return home to start businesses and to invest in the country’s development.
Age structure
0-14 years: 15.1% (male 100,973/female 96,711)
15-64 years: 71% (male 462,833/female 467,509)
65 years and over: 13.9% (2024 est.) (male 75,464/female 107,014)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 40.7
youth dependency ratio: 23.4
elderly dependency ratio: 17.3
potential support ratio: 5.8 (2021 est.)
Population distribution
population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; population on Rodrigues Island is spread across the island with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
urban population: 40.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
149,000 PORT LOUIS (capital) (2018)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
male: 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10 deaths/1,000 live births
comparison ranking: total 116
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.4 years (2024 est.)
male: 72.6 years
female: 78.4 years
comparison ranking: total population 127
Gross reproduction rate
0.66 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
63.8% (2014)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 99.9% of population
rural: 99.8% of population
total: 99.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population
rural: 0.2% of population
total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
6.7% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
2.71 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density
3.7 beds/1,000 population (2020)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 99.9% of population
rural: NA
total: NA
unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population
rural: NA
total: (2020 est.) NA
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 3.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
comparison ranking: total 106
Tobacco use
total: 20.2% (2020 est.)
male: 37.3% (2020 est.)
female: 3% (2020 est.)
comparison ranking: total 88
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
62% (2023 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 93.5%
female: 90.5% (2021)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 16 years (2017)
Environment
Environment - current issues
water pollution, degradation of coral reefs; soil erosion; wildlife preservation; solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Climate
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Land use
agricultural land: 43.8% (2018 est.)
arable land: 38.4% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 3.4% (2018 est.)
forest: 17.3% (2018 est.)
other: 38.9% (2018 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 40.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Air pollutants
particulate matter emissions: 10.48 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 4.35 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 2.06 megatons (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 438,000 tons (2016 est.)
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 290 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 310 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources
2.75 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius
conventional short form: Mauritius
local long form: Republic of Mauritius
local short form: Mauritius
etymology: island named after Prince Maurice VAN NASSAU, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, in 1598
note: pronounced mah-rish-us
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Port Louis
geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: named after LOUIS XV, who was king of France in 1736 when the port became the administrative center of Mauritius and a major reprovisioning stop for French ships traveling between Europe and Asia
Administrative divisions
9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Independence
12 March 1968 (from the UK)
National holiday
Independence and Republic Day, 12 March (1968 & 1992); note - became independent and a republic on the same date in 1968 and 1992 respectively
Constitution
history: several previous; latest adopted 12 March 1968
amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, including the sovereignty of the state, fundamental rights and freedoms, citizenship, or the branches of government, requires approval in a referendum by at least three-fourths majority of voters followed by a unanimous vote by the Assembly; passage of other amendments requires only two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; amended many times, last in 2016
Legal system
civil legal system based on French civil law with some elements of English common law
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: yes
citizenship by descent only: yes
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 out of the previous 7 years including the last 12 months
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President Prithvirajsing ROOPUN (since 2 December 2019); Vice President Marie Cyril EDDY Boissézon (since 2 December 2019)
head of government: Prime Minister Pravind JUGNAUTH (since 23 January 2017); note - Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH stepped down on 23 January 2017 in favor of his son, Pravind Kumar JUGNAUTH, who was then appointed prime minister; following 7 November 2019 parliamentary elections, Pravind JUGNAUTH remained prime minister and home affairs minister and also became defense minister
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers (Council of Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for 5-year renewable terms; election last held on 7 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister who have the majority support in the National Assembly
election results:
2019: Prithvirajsing ROOPUN (MSM) elected president by the National Assembly - unanimous vote
2015: Ameenah GURIB-FAKIM (independent) elected president by the National Assembly - unanimous vote; note - GURIB-FAKIM, who was Mauritius' first female president, resigned on 23 March 2018; acting presidents served from March 2018 until ROOPUN's appointment in 2019
Legislative branch
description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (70 seats maximum; 62 members directly elected multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and up to 8 seats allocated to non-elected party candidates by the Office of Electoral Commissioner; members serve a 5-year term)
elections: last held on 7 November 2019 (next to be held by late 2024)
election results: percent of vote by party - Mauritian Alliance 2019 (MSM, ML, MAG, and PM) 37.7%, National Alliance (PTR, PMSD, and MJCB) 32.8%, MMM 20.6%, OPR 1%, other 7.9%; seats by party - MSM 38, PTR 14, MMM 8, OPR 2; composition as of February 2024 - men 56, women 14, percentage women 20% (2019)
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Mauritius (consists of the chief justice, a senior puisne judge, and 24 puisne judges); note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) serves as the final court of appeal
judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister; senior puisne judge appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice; other puisne judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Judicial and Legal Commission, a 4-member body of judicial officials including the chief justice; all judges serve until retirement at age 67
subordinate courts: lower regional courts known as District Courts, Court of Civil Appeal; Court of Criminal Appeal; Public Bodies Appeal Tribunal
Political parties and leaders
Alliance Morisien (Mauritian Alliance 2019; coalition includes PM, MSM, ML, and MAG) [Pravind JUGNAUTH]
Jean-Claude Barbier Movement (Mouvement Jean-Claude Barbier) or MJCB [Jean-Claude Barbier]
Mauritian Militant Movement (Mouvement Militant Mauricien) or MMM [Paul BERENGER]
Mauritian Social Democratic Party (Parti Mauricien Social Democrate) or PMSD [Xavier Luc DUVAL]
Mauritius Labor Party (Parti Travailliste) or PTR or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]
Militant Platform or PM (Plateforme Militante) [Steven OBEEGADOO]
Militant Socialist Movement (Mouvement Socialist Mauricien) or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH]
Muvman Liberater or ML [Ivan COLLENDAVELLOO]
National Alliance (coalition includes PTR, PMSD, and MJCB) [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]
Patriotic Movement (Mouvement Patriotique) or MAG [Alan GANOO]
Rodrigues Peoples Organization (Organisation du Peuple Rodriguais) or OPR [Serge CLAIR]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, COMESA, CPLP (associate), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SAARC (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Purmanund JHUGROO (since 7 July 2021)
chancery: 1709 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
email address and website:
mauritius.embassy@verizon.net; washingtonemb@govmu.org
https://mauritius-washington.govmu.org/Pages/index.aspx
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Henry V. JARDINE (since 22 February 2023); note - also accredited to Seychelles
embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Avenue, Port Louis
mailing address: 2450 Port Louis Place, Washington, DC 20521-2450
telephone: [230] 202-4400
FAX: [230] 208-9534
email address and website:
PTLConsular@state.gov
https://mu.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green; red represents self-determination and independence, blue the Indian Ocean surrounding the island, yellow has been interpreted as the new light of independence, golden sunshine, or the bright future, and green can symbolize either agriculture or the lush vegetation of the island
note: while many national flags consist of three - and in some cases five - horizontal bands of color, the flag of Mauritius is the world's only national flag to consist of four horizontal color bands
National symbol(s)
dodo bird, Trochetia Boutoniana flower; national colors: red, blue, yellow, green
National anthem
name: "Motherland"
lyrics/music: Jean Georges PROSPER/Philippe GENTIL
note: adopted 1968
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 2 (both cultural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Aapravasi Ghat; Le Morne Cultural Landscape
Economy
Economic overview
upper middle-income Indian Ocean island economy; diversified portfolio; investing in maritime security; strong tourism sector decimated by COVID-19; expanding in information and financial services; environmentally fragile
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$28.838 billion (2022 est.)
$26.486 billion (2021 est.)
$25.614 billion (2020 est.)
note: data in 2017 dollars
comparison ranking: 143
Real GDP growth rate
8.88% (2022 est.)
3.4% (2021 est.)
-14.55% (2020 est.)
note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
comparison ranking: 21
Real GDP per capita
$22,800 (2022 est.)
$20,900 (2021 est.)
$20,200 (2020 est.)
note: data in 2017 dollars
comparison ranking: 85
GDP (official exchange rate)
$12.949 billion (2022 est.)
note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
10.77% (2022 est.)
4.03% (2021 est.)
2.58% (2020 est.)
note: annual % change based on consumer prices
comparison ranking: 165
Credit ratings
Moody's rating: Baa1 (2012)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 4% (2017 est.)
industry: 21.8% (2017 est.)
services: 74.1% (2017 est.)
comparison rankings: services 50; industry 132; agriculture 137
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption: 81% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 15.1% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 17.3% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.4% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 42.1% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -55.1% (2017 est.)
Agricultural products
sugar cane, poultry, pumpkins, gourds, potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, pineapples, bananas, fruit
Industries
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism
Industrial production growth rate
6.74% (2022 est.)
note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
comparison ranking: 43
Labor force
583,000 (2022 est.)
note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
comparison ranking: 157
Unemployment rate
6.32% (2022 est.)
7.72% (2021 est.)
8.63% (2020 est.)
note: % of labor force seeking employment
comparison ranking: 130
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 25.3% (2021 est.)
male: 19.7%
female: 32.9%
comparison ranking: total 63
Population below poverty line
10.3% (2017 est.)
note: % of population with income below national poverty line
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
36.8 (2017 est.)
note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
comparison ranking: 84
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 29.9% (2017 est.)
note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
Remittances
2.11% of GDP (2022 est.)
2.37% of GDP (2021 est.)
2.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Budget
revenues: $2.461 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $3.675 billion (2020 est.)
Public debt
57.96% of GDP (2019 est.)
55.38% of GDP (2018 est.)
56.16% of GDP (2017 est.)
note: central government debt as a % of GDP
comparison ranking: 84
Taxes and other revenues
19.02% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
comparison ranking: 95
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Current account balance
-$1.486 billion (2022 est.)
-$1.497 billion (2021 est.)
-$1.003 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
comparison ranking: 138
Exports
$5.005 billion (2022 est.)
$3.194 billion (2021 est.)
$3.088 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
comparison ranking: 137
Exports - partners
France 10%, South Africa 10%, United States 10%, United Kingdom 8%, Zambia 7%, Madagascar 6% (2019)
Exports - commodities
clothing and apparel, skipjack and tuna, raw sugar, fertilizers, diamonds (2021)
Imports
$8.037 billion (2022 est.)
$6.057 billion (2021 est.)
$5.222 billion (2020 est.)
note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
comparison ranking: 129
Imports - partners
China 15%, India 13%, France 10%, South Africa 8%, United Arab Emirates 7% (2019)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, cars, fish products, aircraft, packaged medicines (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$7.793 billion (2022 est.)
$8.563 billion (2021 est.)
$7.291 billion (2020 est.)
note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
comparison ranking: 87
Exchange rates
Mauritian rupees (MUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
44.183 (2022 est.)
41.692 (2021 est.)
39.347 (2020 est.)
35.474 (2019 est.)
33.934 (2018 est.)
Energy
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 99.6% (2020)
electrification - urban areas: 99.2% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 99.8% (2021)
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 936,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 2,904,500,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 182.4 million kWh (2019 est.)
comparison rankings: installed generating capacity 136; transmission/distribution losses 64; imports 168; exports 160; consumption 142
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 75.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 5.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 3.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 15% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 661,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 1.189 million metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 36,700 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
7.191 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 1.595 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 5.596 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
comparison ranking: total emissions 124
Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions: 462,100 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 36 (2021 est.)
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 95
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 1,971,300 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 152 (2021 est.)
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 151
Telecommunication systems
general assessment: the telecom sector in Mauritius has long been supported by the varied needs of tourists; this has stimulated the mobile market, leading to a particularly high penetration rate; the response of the country’s telcos to tourist requirements also contributed to the country being among the first in the region to provide services based on 3G and WiMAX technologies; the incumbent telco provides comprehensive LTE and fiber broadband coverage, and in late 2021 it launched a gigabit fiber-based broadband service; the country has seen improved international internet capacity in recent years, with direct cables linking to India, Madagascar, and South Africa, as well as other connections to Rodrigues and Reunion; mobile subscribers in Mauritius secured 5G services in mid-2021; this followed the regulator’s award of spectrum in two bands to the MNOs (2022)
domestic: fixed-line teledensity over 36 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular services teledensity 152 per 100 persons (2021)
international: country code - 230; landing points for the SAFE, MARS, IOX Cable System, METISS and LION submarine cable system that provides links to Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean Islands of Reunion, Madagascar, and Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries (2019)
Broadcast media
the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation is the national public television and radio broadcaster; it broadcasts programming in French, English, Hindi, Creole and Chinese, it provides 17 television channels in Mauritius; there are nine Mauritian FM radio stations and two operating on the AM band
(2022)
Internet users
total: 884,000 (2021 est.)
percent of population: 68% (2021 est.)
comparison ranking: total 150
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 323,200 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2020 est.)
comparison ranking: total 105
Transportation
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 13
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,745,291 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 233.72 million (2018) mt-km
Heliports
1 (2024)
Roadways
total: 2,428 km
paved: 2,379 km (includes 99 km of expressways)
unpaved: 49 km (2015)
comparison ranking: total 171
Merchant marine
total: 32 (2023)
by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 4, other 27
comparison ranking: total 132
Ports and terminals
major seaport(s): Port Louis
Military and Security
Military and security forces
no regular military forces; the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) under the Ministry of Defense includes a paramilitary unit known as the Special Mobile Force, which includes some motorized infantry and light armored units; the MPF also has a Police Helicopter Squadron, a Special Support Unit (riot police), and the National Coast Guard (also includes an air squadron) (2024)
note: the MPF is responsible for law enforcement and maintenance of order within the country; a police commissioner heads the force and has authority over all police and other security forces, including the Coast Guard and Special Mobile Forces; the Special Mobile Forces share responsibility with police for internal security
Military expenditures
(2022)
(2021)
(2020)
(2019)
(2018)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the MPF's inventory is comprised of mostly secondhand equipment from Western European countries and India; since 2010, India has been the primary supplier (2023)
Military - note
the country’s primary security partner is India, and Indian naval vessels often patrol Mauritian waters; the MPF has also received assistance and training from France, the UK, and the US; the MPF’s chief security concerns are piracy and narcotics trafficking
the Special Mobile Force was created in 1960 following the withdrawal of the British garrison (2023)
Transnational Issues
Trafficking in persons
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Mauritius does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; these efforts included partnering with an international organization to adopt standard operating procedures for victim identification and referral, enhancing screening for trafficking indicators during labor inspections, and adopting a 2022-2026 National Action Plan; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; officials did not prosecute any suspected traffickers, did not convict any traffickers, nor report initiating any investigations for the second consecutive year; the government provided minimal services to victims and did not identify any victims for the third consecutive year; officials continued to compel some adult foreign victims to participate in criminal proceedings using threats of deportation and arrest; police regularly investigated potential trafficking cases as other crimes, and prosecutors routinely pursued lesser offenses with lesser penalties in cases initially investigated as trafficking; courts continued to provide lenient sentences to first-time offenders, weakening deterrence; therefore, Mauritius was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)
trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Mauritius; girls across the country—particularly from low-income communities—are exploited in child sex trafficking; taxi drivers, sometimes involved in commercial sex networks, knowingly transport child sex traffickers and victims; traffickers may exploit children in sex trafficking on Rodrigues Island, an autonomous territory of Mauritius; members of underserved communities, including individuals in commercial sex, women and children of African descent (Creoles), and LGBTQI+ persons, are vulnerable to sex trafficking, particularly in urban areas; traffickers, including gang members, force Mauritian children and foreign migrants to carry drugs; foreign migrants, particularly Malagasy women, are recruited under false pretenses of employment or tourism but forced into sex trafficking and domestic servitude; previous reports indicate traffickers, in partnership with criminal networks in Russia and Kazakhstan, recruit Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian women to move to Mauritius, under the guise of a marriage agency, then exploit them in sex trafficking; traffickers exploit migrants—primarily from Bangladesh, India, Madagascar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka—in labor trafficking in the garment, textile, manufacturing, and construction industries; labor trafficking is more common in small- and medium-sized businesses that employ migrant workers, primarily from Bangladesh, often recruited by former migrant workers who returned to their country of origin; traffickers may exploit migrant workers aboard foreign-owned fishing vessels in Mauritius’ territorial waters and ports (2023)
Illicit drugs
consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering