01
Physical geography
Small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau.
Local timePort Louis ·
Africa / Eastern Africa · Card 034
Mauritius
Mauritius is a country in Eastern Africa. Its capital is Port Louis.
Find Mauritius
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Port Louis
- Languages
- Mauritian Creole, English & French
- Currency
- Mauritian rupee (MUR)
- Population
- 1.2 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 2,040 km²788 square miles
- Independence
- 1968from the UK
Mauritius in context
Africa and its surrounding islands. The dot marks Port Louis; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Mauritian Creole is widely spoken; English and French are used in administration and public life. The constitution specifies English for the National Assembly, while allowing French.
03
Location
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, about 800 km (500 mi) east of Madagascar.
Flag
Four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
History & independence
Mauritius passed from French to British rule in 1810. It became independent on 12 March 1968 following constitutional negotiations, retaining the British monarch initially. It became a republic on 12 March 1992.
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Slavery is abolished under British rule
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Independence from Britain
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Mauritius becomes a republic
Economy
Main activities
The economy has diversified from sugar into tourism, manufacturing, financial services and information-related services. Trade and international transport links are important to this island economy.
Industry and production
food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people1.22025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 826,000 | 0.826 |
| 1980 | 966,039 | 0.966 |
| 1990 | 1,058,775 | 1.059 |
| 2000 | 1,186,873 | 1.187 |
| 2010 | 1,250,400 | 1.250 |
| 2020 | 1,266,014 | 1.266 |
| 2025 | 1,243,741 | 1.244 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars15.32025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4,072,478,439 | 4.072 |
| 1991 | 4,253,111,031 | 4.253 |
| 1992 | 4,530,103,333 | 4.530 |
| 1993 | 4,760,326,037 | 4.760 |
| 1994 | 4,957,219,922 | 4.957 |
| 1995 | 5,169,772,454 | 5.170 |
| 1996 | 5,458,651,270 | 5.459 |
| 1997 | 5,769,110,828 | 5.769 |
| 1998 | 6,119,407,786 | 6.119 |
| 1999 | 6,279,181,383 | 6.279 |
| 2000 | 6,794,249,556 | 6.794 |
| 2001 | 7,021,689,827 | 7.022 |
| 2002 | 7,135,084,406 | 7.135 |
| 2003 | 7,557,869,943 | 7.558 |
| 2004 | 7,885,127,212 | 7.885 |
| 2005 | 8,025,288,741 | 8.025 |
| 2006 | 8,415,762,744 | 8.416 |
| 2007 | 8,900,830,662 | 8.901 |
| 2008 | 9,387,088,070 | 9.387 |
| 2009 | 9,702,824,740 | 9.703 |
| 2010 | 10,129,431,414 | 10.129 |
| 2011 | 10,549,352,324 | 10.549 |
| 2012 | 10,919,700,091 | 10.920 |
| 2013 | 11,290,702,455 | 11.291 |
| 2014 | 11,726,268,293 | 11.726 |
| 2015 | 12,162,211,503 | 12.162 |
| 2016 | 12,634,806,000 | 12.635 |
| 2017 | 13,134,438,956 | 13.134 |
| 2018 | 13,675,143,576 | 13.675 |
| 2019 | 14,066,792,766 | 14.067 |
| 2020 | 12,069,668,892 | 12.070 |
| 2021 | 12,472,565,404 | 12.473 |
| 2022 | 13,513,082,164 | 13.513 |
| 2023 | 14,148,086,474 | 14.148 |
| 2024 | 14,848,196,378 | 14.848 |
| 2025 | 15,316,148,267 | 15.316 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.806Very High human developmentRank 73 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.627
20000.683
20100.755
20200.795
20230.806
74.9 yearsLife expectancy at birth
10.1 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Parliamentary republic. National Assembly - Assemblée nationale has one chamber (a unicameral legislature). Government is formed through the parliamentary system.
Knowledge check
Three questions about Mauritius.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Mauritius diversified its economy from a strong reliance on which crop?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived country profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.