Introduction
Background
Mauritius was uninhabited until 1638 when the Dutch established a settlement, and first France and then the UK controlled the island. Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968 and has remained a stable democracy.
Geography
Area
total: 2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Climate
tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Natural resources
arable land, fish
People and Society
Population
total: 1,310,504
male: 639,270
female: 671,234 (2024 est.)
Ethnic groups
Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian
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.)
Population growth rate
0.07% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Port Louis
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
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)
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.)
Real GDP per capita
$22,800 (2022 est.)
$20,900 (2021 est.)
$20,200 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products
sugarcane, chicken, pumpkins/squash, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, onions, tea, cucumbers/gherkins (2022)
Industries
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism
Exports
$5.005 billion (2022 est.)
$3.194 billion (2021 est.)
$3.088 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
Zimbabwe 11%, South Africa 11%, France 10%, Madagascar 8%, US 7% (2022)
Exports - commodities
garments, fish, raw sugar, fertilizers, diamonds (2022)
Imports
$8.037 billion (2022 est.)
$6.057 billion (2021 est.)
$5.222 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
China 16%, South Africa 10%, UAE 9%, India 9%, Oman 8% (2022)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, coal, fish, cars, packaged medicine (2022)
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.)
Page last updated: Tuesday, May 07, 2024
