International airport(s) Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport
Official language(s) None (English, French, Mauritian Creole)
Currency Mauritian rupee (MUR)
Time UTC +4
Region Atlantic and Indian Ocean
GeographyClimateEconomyCulture
Mauritius lies in the Indian Ocean about 2 000 km off the southeast coast of Africa. There are two main islands: Mauritius and Rodrigues, the latter located 560 km east of Mauritius. The island of Mauritius is 65 km long and 45 km wide. The outer islands include Agaléga and Saint Brandon. The country is known for its rich nature and many endemic species. The island was once home to the dodo, a flightless bird, which was driven to extinction by humans shortly after the island's settlement. These islands emerged as a result of underwater volcanic eruptions some 8 million years ago, though these volcanoes are no longer active. The highest peak, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, lying in the southwest at 828 m.
Mauritius has a tropical climate with two seasons. The summer is warm and humid and lasts from November to April, with a mean temperature of around 25 °C. The winter is relatively cold and dry, lasting from June to September with a mean temperature of 20‐21 °C. The warmest months, January and February, reach average temperatures of 26 °C. Average annual rainfall is above 1 700 mm -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —- and ranges from 900 mm on the coast to higher amounts on the central plateau, most of which falls during the summer months. The wettest period lasts from January to March. Sea temperatures vary from 22 to 27 °C. Trade winds cool the eastern side and bring more rain. Between January and March the islands experience occasional tropical cyclones and heavy rains.
Mauritius has developed from a low‐income economy based on agriculture into a diversified economy with a high, almost 80 per cent, share of services in GDP, a few per cent contributed by mining and 13 per cent by manufacturing -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-. The economy is heavily dependent on tourism, transport, textiles, sugar and financial services. In 2019, Mauritius attracted 1.4 million tourist arrivals with an inbound tourism expenditure at 14 per cent over GDP -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-. After Seychelles, Mauritius has the second highest GDP per capita of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean SIDS in 2019 with US$11 000, current prices -— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —--— – ‒ - – —-.
This economic transformation, achieved since independence in 1968, is often referred to as 'the Mauritian Miracle', or the 'success of Africa'. The World Bank's 2019 Ease of Doing Business Index ranks Mauritius 13th worldwide. Mauritius has positioned itself as a hub for investment into Africa as it is strategically located between Asia and Africa. Important export destinations include France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and South Africa. Mauritius has undertaken initiatives to develop its regulatory framework, protect investment, avoid double taxation, develop a competent and multilingual workforce and provides a politically stable environment. The country hosts numerous international banks, corporate services, law firms and investment funds. Mauritius also has challenges, such as reliance on relatively few sectors, a relatively small labour force and an increasing old‐age dependency ratio of nearly 18 per 100 persons in 2020.
Arts are an important part of the Mauritian culture and the country is home to several renowned painters. Literature is also important in the country, with J. M. G. Le Clézio winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2008. The island also hosts the Le Prince Maurice Prize that alternates annually between English and French speaking writers. Cuisine is a combination of Indian, Creole, French and Chinese, with many dishes unique to the island. Varying types of seafood and spices play an important part in the local cuisine.
Land areakm2
Arable land%
Forest area%
Coastline lengthkm
Exclusive economic zonekm2
Nearest neighbourkm
Economic trendsMaritime transportPopulationInternational tradeEnvironmentInformation and communications technology
Gross domestic product US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
GDP per capita
2019
US$
Productive Capacity Index
2018
Economic and environmental vulnerability index
2019
Consumer Price Index growth
2019
%
Unemployment rate
Total % Female %, Male %
Main economic sectors, 2019 Percentage of GDP
Tourist arrivals Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
External financial resources Percentage of GDP
Public debt as % of GDP
2018
%
Fleet size Number of ships
Ship type
2011
2019
Total fleet
1 407
1 407
Oil tankers
264
266
Bulk carriers
311
333
General cargo
161
77
Container ships
52
49
Other types of ships
619
682
Port performance Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Indicators
2019
SIDS Ranking
Number of port calls
1 392
12
Median time in port (days)
1
8
Average age of vessels
13
28
Average size (GT) of vessels
28 975
13
Container port throuput
2019
TEU
Bilateral connectivity index, 2019 Top 5 partners
Liner shipping connectivity index Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Total population Thousands of people, share of urban population
Population development indicators
Indicators
Period
Value
Poverty headcount (% of population)
2017
0.2
Human development index
2018
0.8
Human assets index
2020
92
Adult literacy rate (15+ years, both sexes %)
..
..
Gender inequality index
2019
0.4
Life expectancy at birth
years
Population density
2019
persons per km2
Dependency ratio
2019
Child: Old-age:
Age structure by gender, 2019 Percentage of total population
Merchandise and services trade US dollars in millions
Indicators
2005
2010
2015
2019
2019 (% of GDP)
Merchandise exports
2 143
2 261
2 662
2 223
15.7
Merchandise imports
3 157
4 386
4 790
5 596
39.5
Services exports
1 618
2 695
2 733
2 949
20.8
Services imports
1 198
1979
2041
2129
15
Trade openness Goods and services
% of GDP
Export concentration index
2019
Food import dependency Average 2015-2019
Top 5 partners in merchandise trade, 2019 Exports in millions US dollars
Merchandise exports by product group, 2019
Services exports by category, 2019
CO2 emissions per capita Kg per capita
CO2 emissions per GDP Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Renewable energy share in total energy consumption, 2017 Percentage of total energy consumption
Material footprint per capita
2016
kg
Terrestrial protected area
2018
%
Marine protected area
2018
%
Disasters indicators
Data not available
Trade in ICT goods
Exports: % Imports: %
Trade in ICT services
Exports: % Imports: %
Share of internet users
%
Fixed broadband vs Mobile broadband subscriptions Number of subscriptions per 100 people
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.