Mauritius: Agricultural land (sq. km)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Mauritius' agricultural land (sq. km) rose 0.1% on 2023 (from 816.2 to 817.2).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −1% and a typical year strayed about 1.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.6% in 1967 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.6% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.43 a year. A straight line explains 72% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Mauritius had the 167th highest value of the 208 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Mauritius in the 2024 ranking

• Cabo Verde — 164th of 208: 999
• Equatorial Guinea — 165th of 208: 965.9
• Faroe Islands — 166th of 208: 960.7
• Suriname — 168th of 208: 760
• Qatar — 169th of 208: 740
• Trinidad and Tobago — 170th of 208: 595.2

What this measures

Agricultural land refers to the land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Limitations: The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through annual questionnaires. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible. Thus, data on agricultural land in different climates may not be comparable. For example, permanent pastures are quite different in nature and intensity in African countries and dry Middle Eastern countries. To address some of these concerns, this indicator is heavily footnoted in the database in sources, definition, and coverage.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 64 values

Agricultural land (sq. km) in nearby economies

• Angola — 452,854 (2024)
• Benin — 48,646 (2024)
• Botswana — 258,615 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 171,208 (2024)
• Burundi — 19,057 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 999 (2024)
• Cameroon — 99,670 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 58,197 (2024)
• Chad — 503,375 (2024)
• Comoros — 1,475 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 367,095 (2024)
• Congo, Rep.

More environment data for Mauritius

• Rural population — 758,222 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 60.96% (2025)
• Urban population — 485,519 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 39.04% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 1,888 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 38,022 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 39,910 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -0.2% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — -0.11% (2025)
• Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Mauritius's agricultural land (sq. km)?

817.2 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is down 17.45% from 990 in 1961 (0.3% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1,140 in 1985 and the lowest 812 in 2016.

How does Mauritius rank?

167th highest of 208 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in agricultural land (sq. km) unusual for Mauritius?

In 2024, Mauritius' agricultural land (sq. km) rose 0.1% on 2023 (from 816.2 to 817.2). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −1% and a typical year strayed about 1.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.LND.AGRI.K2, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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