Mauritius Population
Mauritius had an estimated population of 1,243,741 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 159th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.02% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.16% a year.
Mauritius at a glance
How Mauritius's population is changing
Mauritius's population is roughly stable: −0.16% a year, which works out to about −2,036 people per year, or −6 a day. Births (10.3 per 1,000) and deaths (10.0 per 1,000) alone would give +0.03% a year; net migration removes about 2,784 people a year (−0.22%). Roughly one in every 6,605 people on Earth lives in Mauritius.
Population of Mauritius since 1960
In 1960, Mauritius had 680,331 people. By 2025 that was 1,243,741 — 1.8× larger. The population peaked in 2021 at 1,266,334 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1961 and 1971, when the population rose by 23%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 680,331 | — |
| 1970 | 826,000 | +21.4% |
| 1980 | 966,039 | +17.0% |
| 1990 | 1,058,775 | +9.6% |
| 2000 | 1,186,873 | +12.1% |
| 2010 | 1,250,400 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 1,266,014 | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 1,243,741 | −1.8% |
Mauritius from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Mauritius at about 59,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 1,268,285 in 2025 (21× 1800) and projects 581,719 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2015 at 1,292,283 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 59,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 182,748 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 392,834 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 525,560 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 1,216,632 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 1,268,285 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 1,107,198 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 839,685 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 581,719 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Mauritius
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 1,243,741. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Louis | 549,015 | UN urban centre | 44.14% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Vacoas | 115,289 | GeoNames settlement | 9.27% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Beau Bassin-Rose Hill | 111,355 | GeoNames settlement | 8.95% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Curepipe | 78,618 | GeoNames settlement | 6.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Quatre Bornes | 77,308 | GeoNames settlement | 6.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Triolet | 24,361 | GeoNames settlement | 1.96% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Goodlands | 21,063 | GeoNames settlement | 1.69% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Bel Air Rivière Sèche | 18,036 | GeoNames settlement | 1.45% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Bambous | 17,818 | GeoNames settlement | 1.43% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Centre de Flacq | 17,710 | GeoNames settlement | 1.42% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Mauritius compares
Mauritius has almost the same population as Eswatini (1,256,174).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Mauritius | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #157 |  Estonia | 1,366,475 | +10% | compare → |
| #158 |  Eswatini | 1,256,174 | +1% | compare → |
| #160 |  Djibouti | 1,184,076 | −5% | compare → |
| #161 |  Fiji | 933,154 | −25% | compare → |
Compare Mauritius with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Mauritius
Nearest countries
Mauritius has no land border. Closest by distance:
Madagascar 32,740,678 · 26.3× the population · compare
Seychelles 122,730 · 10.1× smaller · compare
Comoros 882,847 · 1.4× smaller · compare
Malawi 22,216,120 · 17.9× the population · compare
In its region
Mauritius is the 44th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 0.1% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings featuring Mauritius
Cities
Port Louis, Vacoas, Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Curepipe, Quatre Bornes, Triolet, Goodlands, Bel Air Rivière Sèche — all Mauritius's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Mauritius when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.