Mauritius at its true size
Mauritius covers 2,040 km², number 169 of 194 countries by area. Home to 1,243,741 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 2,040 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,243,741 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 610 per km² |
| Capital | Port Louis |
| Local time in Port Louis | |
| Time zone | UTC+4 IANA |
| Currency | Mauritian rupee (MUR) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, French |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Seven seas (open ocean) |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +230 |
| Codes | MU · MUS · 480 |
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Where Mauritius ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#156 of 1941.2 million people#49 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#10 of 194610 people per km²#1 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#151 of 19239% urban#35 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#149 of 1921.44 births per woman#54 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#168 of 192−0.16% a year#54 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#137 of 19210.3 births per 1,000 people#54 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#35 of 19210.0 deaths per 1,000 people#4 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#167 of 19214.5% under 15#54 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#60 of 19214.1% aged 65 and over#1 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#147 of 192−2.2 per 1,000 people#43 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#96 of 1900.23 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#36 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#96 of 19273.8 years#6 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#90 of 19113.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#49 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#95 of 1781.44 doctors per 1,000 people#3 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#82 of 14545.8% gross enrolment#3 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#72 of 190an index of 0.806#2 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#67 of 185$14,040 a person#2 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#112 of 18473% online#9 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#66 of 184$33,667 a person#2 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#93 of 187+3.2% a year#36 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#68 of 176+3.7% a year#22 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#76 of 1785.6% of the labour force#29 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#103 of 1490.5% under $3.00 a day#47 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#58 of 149a Gini index of 36.8#30 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#132 of 1784.7% of jobs#52 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#73 of 17820.6% of jobs#11 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#29 of 17874.7% of jobs#2 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#37 of 1845.0% of GDP#12 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#31 of 16865.0% of GDP#4 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#151 of 1550.1% of GDP#50 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#13 of 191173 subscriptions per 100 people#4 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#75 of 1853.54 tonnes a person#5 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#121 of 19219% forest#28 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#150 of 1908.6% renewable#49 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#124 of 19114.1 µg/m³#49 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#164 of 1915.0% of the land protected#44 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#19 of 19035.3% of the land arable#8 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#63 of 17623.0% of its available fresh water#14 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#31 of 1802,041 mm a year#6 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Mauritius’s area, lit up on the map →
- Comoros1.0×Mauritius and Comoros are almost exactly the same size.
- Luxembourg0.79×Mauritius is 21% smaller than Luxembourg.
- Samoa0.72×Mauritius is 28% smaller than Samoa.
- Cabo Verde0.51×Mauritius is 49% smaller than Cabo Verde.
- São Tomé and Principe2.04×Mauritius is 2.04 times larger than São Tomé and Principe.
- Trinidad and Tobago0.4×Mauritius is 2.51 times smaller than Trinidad and Tobago.
How many times does Mauritius fit into…
- Russia: about 8370 times
- Canada: about 4894 times
- United States: about 4817 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Mauritius shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire828 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Mauritius. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Mauritius
- How big is Mauritius?
- Mauritius covers 2,040 km², which makes it number 169 of 194 countries by area. About 1,243,741 people live there (2025), 610 per km².
- Is Mauritius bigger than Comoros?
- Mauritius and Comoros are almost exactly the same size. Mauritius: 2,040 km²; Comoros: 2,034 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Mauritius?
- Mauritius lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Mauritius have land borders?
- No. Mauritius has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.