Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius
Mauritius: Share of population living in urban areas was 90.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius stood at 90.9%.
The figure is down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius peaked at 91.7% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 79.0%, in 1950.
Mauritius ranks 28th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 79.0% | — |
| 1955 | 81.2% | +2.8% |
| 1960 | 83.1% | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 84.5% | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 85.8% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 86.6% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 86.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 88.3% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 88.9% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 89.6% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 90.2% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 91.7% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 91.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 91.4% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 90.9% | -0.6% |
Mauritius compared with similar countries
- Mauritius's 90.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.7%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Mauritius's 90.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.4%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 80.1% | 79.0% | 81.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 83.8% | 83.1% | 84.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 86.2% | 85.8% | 86.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 87.5% | 86.6% | 88.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 89.3% | 88.9% | 89.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 90.9% | 90.2% | 91.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 91.5% | 91.4% | 91.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 90.9% | 90.9% | 90.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mauritius
More reference data data for Mauritius
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0409 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0513 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0002 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0513 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0343 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2303 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2885 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0008 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritius was 90.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mauritius?
- The highest recorded value was 91.7% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mauritius?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.0% in 1950.
- How does Mauritius rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Mauritius ranks 28th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Mauritius?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritius data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.