Country Snapshot
Population (2019, millions)¹ | 1.26 |
Population Projections (2030, millions)¹ | 1.28 |
Economically active population in agriculture (as % of Economically active population)12, 2019 | 6.8 |
Capital | Port-Louis |
Surface Area (km²)² | 2,040 |
Weather¹¹ | In Port-Louis: Hottest month, January, 23-30°C; coldest months, July-August, 17-24°C; driest month, September, 36 mm average rainfall; wettest month, March, 221 mm average rainfall |
Languages³ | Creole, Bhojpuri, French, English and others |
Main Religions³ | Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim, other Christian and none |
Time⁴ | Mauritius Time (MUT) +0400 UTC |
Driving Orientation⁵ | Left Side |
Internet Country Code⁶ | .mu |
Country Calling Code | +230 |
Plug, Socket and Voltage⁷ | Type C and G - 230V/50Hz |
Currency | Mauritian Rupee (MUR) - 1/100 = Cent |
Exchange Rate (As of 2 February 2019, per USD)⁸ | 33.90 (buy rate) |
GDP at Market Prices (2018, current, billions of USD)⁹ | 14.22 |
GDP Growth (2018, annual %)⁹ | 3.77 |
Average GDP Growth (2014-2018, annual %)⁹ | 3.74 |
GDP per Capita, PPP (2018, current international $)⁹ | 23,709 |
Inflation, Consumer Prices (2018, annual %)⁹ | 3.21 |
Average Inflation, Consumer Prices (2014-2018, annual %)⁹ | 2.47 |
Total Reserves in Months of Imports (2018)⁹ | 5.31 |
Sources:
¹United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
²COMESA Statistics, COMESTAT Data Hub.
³CIA World Factbook.
⁴Time and Date Portal.
⁵Chartsbin Portal, "Worldwide Driving Orientation by Country".
⁶Wikipedia, "List of Internet top-level domains"; and, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, Root Zone Database.
⁷International Electrotechnical Commission, World Plugs.
⁸Bank of Mauritius – The Central Bank of Mauritius.
⁹World Bank, World Development Indicators 2019.
¹¹Economist Intelligence Unit.
12AFDB Socio Economic Database
Reasons to Invest in Mauritius
Source: Economic Development Board - EDB Mauritius.
Population
Population Projections (millions)
Population (2019) | 1.26 |
Population Projections (2030) | 1.28 |
Source: United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Population Residing in Urban Areas (%)
Population Projections (2019) | 40.76 |
Percentage of Population Residing in Urban Areas (2030) | 41.85 |
Source: United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Youth Literacy Rates (2017, %)
Youth Literacy Rate, Population 15-24 Years, Both Sexes | 99.04 |
Youth Literacy Rate, Population 15-24 Years, Female | 99.35 |
Youth Literacy Rate, Population 15-24 Years, Male | 98.73 |
Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO Institute of Statistics.
Labour
Unemployment (2018, % of Total Labour Force)
Unemployment, Total | 6.86 |
Unemployment, Female | 10.06 |
Unemployment, Male | 4.79 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators 2019.
Labour Force (2017, % of Ages 15+)
Labour Force Participation Rate, Total | 58.16 |
Labour Force Participation Rate, Female | 44.98 |
Labour Force Participation Rate, Male | 71.84 |
Labour Force, Total (number) | 605,008 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators 2019.
Economy - Overview
GDP
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
GDP at Market Prices (current, billions of USD) | 12.8 | 11.69 | 12.23 | 13.25 | 14.22 |
GDP Growth (annual %) | 3.74 | 3.55 | 3.83 | 3.81 | 3.77 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators 2019.
Value Added by Sector (% of GDP)
Indicator | 2018 | 2019 |
Agriculture | 3.64 | 4.14 |
Manufacturing | 15.57 | 16.78 |
Industry | 24.19 | 25.07 |
Services | 91.17 | 89.79 |
Construction | 5.49 | 5.30 |
Electricity, gas and water | 2.84 | 2.70 |
Mining and quarrying | 0.29 | 0.30 |
Education | 5.78 | 5.78 |
Finance, real estate and business services | 30.61 | 30.34 |
Public administration and Defense | 7.33 | 7.44 |
Health and Social Work | 5.29 | 5.11 |
Other services | 6.26 | 6.03 |
Transport, storage and communication | 12.64 | 12.56 |
Wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants | 23.25 | 22.54 |
Source: AFDB Socio Economic Database.
Trade Profile
Import Partners (Imported Value, thousands, USD)
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
World | 5,372,465 | 4,617,186 | 4,481,286 | 5,439,562 | 5,589,431 |
India | 1,170,077 | 822,883 | 741,003 | 892,862 | 1,022,242 |
China | 865,838 | 831,494 | 792,763 | 891,715 | 919,653 |
South Africa | 354,909 | 306,210 | 336,300 | 464,077 | 516,479 |
France | 410,524 | 328,239 | 348,160 | 432,730 | 454,009 |
United Arab Emirates | 100,875 | 73,907 | 82,967 | 117,269 | 190,708 |
Source: COMTRADE Statistics.
Export Partners (Exported Value, thousands, USD)
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
World | 2,567,753 | 2,401,649 | 2,117,260 | 2,176,805 | 1,964,082 |
United Kingdom | 344,739 | 313,265 | 254,544 | 251,440 | 215,646 |
South Africa | 160,680 | 173,585 | 172,553 | 158,629 | 175,422 |
United States of America | 254,014 | 231,999 | 241,135 | 183,411 | 173,540 |
France | 243,580 | 187,285 | 243,153 | 189,193 | 163,656 |
Spain | 108,420 | 75,474 | 94,181 | 104,065 | 97,687 |
Source: COMTRADE Statistics.
Mauritius’ Top Import Products (USD ‘000)
Chapter | Description | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
All products | 5,372,465 | 4,617,186 | 4,481,286 | 5,439,562 | 5,589,431 | |
27 | Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes | 1,026,381 | 704,443 | 615,420 | 919,696 | 1,123,919 |
85 | Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles | 643,902 | 589,052 | 469,947 | 389,394 | 471,230 |
84 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof | 331,930 | 279,186 | 311,296 | 452,710 | 402,155 |
87 | Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling-stock, and parts and accessories thereof | 276,185 | 257,459 | 293,623 | 368,891 | 383,555 |
03 | Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates | 305,599 | 256,063 | 285,600 | 358,073 | 288,762 |
Source: COMTRADE Statistics.
Mauritius’ Top Export Products (USD ‘000)
Chapter | Description | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
All products | 2,567,753 | 2,401,649 | 2,117,260 | 2,176,805 | 1,964,082 | |
62 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted | 347,896 | 344,149 | 314,819 | 309,652 | 315,991 |
61 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted | 421,964 | 388,490 | 322,044 | 316,554 | 292,319 |
16 | Preparations of meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates | 309,952 | 247,281 | 253,844 | 307,043 | 284,235 |
03 | Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates | 129,873 | 124,458 | 128,457 | 122,865 | 149,947 |
17 | Sugars and sugar confectionery | 253,070 | 214,795 | 229,172 | 263,358 | 144,565 |
Source: COMTRADE Statistics.
Investment Profile
FDI Inflows (millions of USD)
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
FDI Inflows | 456 | 216 | 379 | 443 | 372 |
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Investment Report 2019
FDI Outflows (millions of USD)
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
FDI Outflows | 141.1 | 99.7 | 28.3 | 85.5 | 83.3 |
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Investment Report 2019
FDI Inward Stock (millions of USD)
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
FDI Inward Stock | 4,180 | 4,364 | 4,617 | 5,058 | 5,313 |
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Investment Report 2019
FDI Outward Stock (millions of USD)
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
FDI Outward Stock | 986 | 733 | 757 | 786 | 851 |
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Investment Report 2019
FDI Inflows Main Source Countries (in terms of number of projects)
India, South Africa, United States, France, UK, Bermuda, UAE, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Canada.
Source: Financial Times, fDi Markets, 2018
FDI Inflows Main Sectors (in terms of number of projects)
Financial Services, Business Services, Software & IT services, Communications, Hotels & Tourism, Real Estate, Coal, Oil and Natural Gas, Consumer Products, Renewable energy, and Electronic Components.
Source: Financial Times, fDi Markets, 2018
FDI Inflows Main Companies (in terms of number of projects)
Indian Oil (IOC), Thomas Cook Group, Apollo Hospitals Group, Equinoxe, Astonfield, Club Mediterranee, Investec, Bank of China, Kalawave, and Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals (MRPL).
Source: Financial Times, fDi Markets, 2018
Doing Business
Overall Doing Business Ranking
2020 | 13/190 |
2019 | 20/190 |
Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020
Starting a Business
2020 Rank | 20/190 |
Procedures (number) | 4 |
Time (days) | 4.5 |
Cost (% of income per capita*) | 0.8 |
Paid-in Minimum Capital (% of income per capita*) | 0.0 |
*GNI per capita used: USD 12,050
Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020
Paying Taxes
Paying Taxes
2020 Rank | 5/190 |
Payments (number per year) | 8.0 |
Time (hours per year) | 152 |
Total Tax Rate (% of profit) | 22.1 |
Profit Tax (% of profit) | 10.3 |
Labor Tax and Contributions (% of profit) | 8.1 |
Other Taxes (% of profit) | 3.7 |
Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020
Trading Across Borders
2020 Rank | 72/190 |
Time to Export: Border Compliance (hours) | 24 |
Cost to Export: Border Compliance (USD) | 303 |
Time to Export: Documentary Compliance (hours) | 9 |
Cost to Export: Documentary Compliance (USD) | 128 |
Time to Import: Border Compliance (hours) | 41 |
Cost to Import: Border Compliance (USD) | 372 |
Time to Import: Documentary Compliance (hours) | 9 |
Cost to Import: Documentary Compliance (USD) | 166 |
Assumptions:
* It is assumed that shipment travels from a warehouse in the largest business city of the exporting economy to a warehouse in the largest business city of the importing economy.
* It is assumed that each economy imports a standardized shipment of 15 metric tons of containerized auto parts (HS 8708) from its natural import partner—the economy from which it imports the largest value (price times quantity) of auto parts. It is assumed that each economy exports the product of its comparative advantage (defined by the largest export value) to its natural export partner—the economy that is the largest purchaser of this product.
* A shipment is a unit of trade. Export shipments do not necessarily need to be containerized, while import shipments of auto parts are assumed to be containerized.
* Shipping cost based on weight is assumed to be greater than shipping cost based on volume.
* If government fees are determined by the value of the shipment, the value is assumed to be $50,000.
* The mode of transport is the one most widely used for the chosen export or import product and the trading partner, as is the seaport, airport or land border crossing.
* Time is measured in hours, and 1 day is 24 hours.
* Costs do not include tariffs.
Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020
Investment Regime
Legal Framework
Investment Code – Investment Promotion Act 2000
Investment Incentives
Tax incentives
To boost manufacturing, the Schedule of Annual Allowances in the Income Tax Act, provides for accelerated depreciation in respect of capital expenditure made during the period 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2018, as follows:
Capital Expenditure | Allowance |
Industrial premises dedicated to manufacturing | 30% of tax base value |
Plant or machinery costing MUR 50,000 or less | 100% of cost |
Electronic and high-precision machinery (incl. computer hardware and software) | 50% of cost |
Plant and machinery (excluding passenger cars) by a manufacturing company | 50% of cost |
Scientific Research | 50 % of cost |
Source: Deloitte, Guide to Fiscal Information, Key Economies in Africa 2018.
Tax Incentives under the Smart City Scheme
A company investing in the development of a smart city and/or its components is exempted from payment of:
Source: KPMG, Mauritius Fiscal Guide 2017/18