Rural population growth (annual %) in Mauritius
Mauritius: Rural population growth (annual %) was -0.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Mauritius, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Mauritius stood at -0.2%.
That represents a change of up 20.9% on the previous year and down 160.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Mauritius peaked at 2.3% in 1979 and was at its lowest, -1.1%, in 2023.
Mauritius ranks 128th of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Mauritius, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -0.9% | — |
| 1962 | 1.9% | -310.6% |
| 1963 | 1.7% | -9.7% |
| 1964 | 1.6% | -8.6% |
| 1965 | 1.5% | -7.3% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | -5.6% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | -3.7% |
| 1968 | 1.3% | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 1.3% | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | +4.1% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | +9.5% |
| 1974 | 1.8% | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 2.0% | +10.8% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +6.5% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | -14.0% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +21.9% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | -4.9% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -13.7% |
| 1982 | 1.5% | -20.8% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | -31.6% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -17.5% |
| 1985 | 0.3% | -67.0% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -93.1% |
| 1987 | -0.1% | -475.1% |
| 1988 | -0.1% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | -397.4% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | +138.3% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +130.9% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +30.5% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | +19.6% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -28.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +15.4% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | +16.6% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -12.6% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +12.9% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -20.4% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -16.7% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -8.2% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -14.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -14.1% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -17.2% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -20.1% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | +26.2% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -8.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -15.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -14.6% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -22.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -16.8% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -14.4% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -21.2% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +7.8% |
| 2022 | -0.2% | -207.6% |
| 2023 | -1.1% | +535.7% |
| 2024 | -0.3% | -77.5% |
| 2025 | -0.2% | -20.9% |
Mauritius compared with similar countries
- Mauritius's -0.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is -0.6%, 33% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Mauritius's -0.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) in Mauritius changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -535.7% | -0.2% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | -475.1% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | +397.4% | -0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1962 | +310.6% | -0.9% | 1.9% |
| 2022 | -207.6% | 0.2% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | +138.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | -0.9% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | -0.1% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2% | -1.1% | 0.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritius
More agriculture & rural data for Mauritius
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 17.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0462 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 599.72 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1976 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6096 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Mauritius?
- Rural population growth in Mauritius was -0.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Mauritius?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 1979.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Mauritius?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.1% in 2023.
- How does Mauritius rank for rural population growth?
- Mauritius ranks 128th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Mauritius?
- Over the last ten years it is down 160.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritius data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.