Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Mauritius

Mauritius: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 39.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
39.0%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
190th
of 238 countries
All-time high
44.1%
in 1972
All-time low
0.1%
in 1700
Years of data
101
1700–2025

Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Mauritius, 1700–2025

010203040170018622025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Mauritius recorded 39.0% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Mauritius peaked at 44.1% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1700.

That places Mauritius 190th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1700s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1710s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1720s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1730s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1740s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1750s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1760s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1770s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1780s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1790s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1800s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1810s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1820s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1
1830s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1840s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
1850s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1860s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1
1870s 4.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1
1880s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
1890s 7.7% 7.7% 7.7% 1
1900s 9.6% 9.6% 9.6% 1
1910s 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 1
1920s 15.0% 15.0% 15.0% 1
1930s 18.8% 18.8% 18.8% 1
1940s 23.5% 23.5% 23.5% 1
1950s 36.5% 33.6% 39.3% 10
1960s 42.1% 39.9% 43.8% 10
1970s 43.5% 42.4% 44.1% 10
1980s 42.4% 41.7% 43.8% 10
1990s 43.2% 42.3% 43.9% 10
2000s 41.2% 40.5% 42.1% 10
2010s 39.7% 39.3% 40.3% 10
2020s 39.0% 39.0% 39.2% 6

Countries ranked near Mauritius

  1. 187 Laos 40.3% compare
  2. 188 Faroe Islands 39.6% compare
  3. 189 Pakistan 39.5% compare
  4. 191 Vietnam 38.8% compare
  5. 192 Guinea 38.5% compare
  6. 193 Saint Helena 37.2% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for Mauritius

All data for Mauritius →

Frequently asked questions

What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Mauritius?
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Mauritius was 39.0% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Mauritius?
The highest recorded value was 44.1% in 1972.
What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Mauritius?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1700.
How does Mauritius rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
Mauritius ranks 190th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Mauritius?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Mauritius data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 101 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Do more people live in urban or rural areas?
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.