Mauritius: Population density (people per sq. km of land area)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Mauritius' population density (people per sq. km of land area) fell 1.43 on 2023 (from 624.32 to 622.89).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +2.79 and a typical year strayed about 3.44 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.18 in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.94 in 2023. 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 downward, about 0.82 a year. A straight line explains 43% 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 14th highest value of the 214 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

• Bermuda — 11th of 214: 1,197
• West Bank and Gaza — 12th of 214: 877.87
• Barbados — 13th of 214: 655.38
• Aruba — 15th of 214: 599.97
• Rwanda — 16th of 214: 599.95
• Naoero — 17th of 214: 568.91

What this measures

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.

Limitations: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack recent census data and pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in the model and in the data.

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

All 64 values

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in nearby economies

• Angola — 30.39 (2024)
• Benin — 128.26 (2024)
• Botswana — 4.45 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 86.07 (2024)
• Burundi — 547.03 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 130.24 (2024)
• Cameroon — 61.61 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 8.56 (2024)
• Chad — 16.12 (2024)
• Comoros

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Mauritius's population density (people per sq. km of land area)?

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

How has it changed since 1961?

It is up 85.74% from 335.35 in 1961 (0.99% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 633.17 in 2021 and the lowest 335.35 in 1961.

How does Mauritius rank?

14th highest of 214 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in population density (people per sq. km of land area) unusual for Mauritius?

In 2024, Mauritius' population density (people per sq. km of land area) fell 1.43 on 2023 (from 624.32 to 622.89). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +2.79 and a typical year strayed about 3.44 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.POP.DNST, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); World Bank population estimates, World Bank (WB), publisher: World Bank (WB) 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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