Mauritius population pyramid 2026
1,265,059 people in 2026 (projected). Mauritius had one of Africa’s earliest fertility declines; its pyramid now narrows sharply below age 30, and deaths have outnumbered births since 2022.
- 2026 population
- 1.3Mrank 160 of 237
- Median age
- 38.3 yearsoldest rank 83
- Fertility rate
- 1.21births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older14.7% age 65+
Mauritius population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Mauritius age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 14.3% of the population, while 14.7% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 71.0% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Mauritius’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 40.9: about 41 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (20.2 children and 20.7 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Mauritius’s population pyramid
A fertility decline decades ahead of the region
In the early 1960s Mauritius had about six children per woman and was widely seen as heading for severe overpopulation. Family planning programmes expanded during that decade, alongside rising education and employment for women, and fertility fell to about 3.8 by 1970 and 2.8 by 1980. The 1975 pyramid already shows it: the widest band is 10–14, born in the early 1960s, and the younger bands are narrower.
That peak cohort is still visible half a century later. In 2026 the 60–64 band, born about 1962–66, stands out about 11% wider than its neighbours. Its children, born mainly in the late 1980s and 1990s, probably account for much of the broad 30–39 section that is now the widest part of the pyramid. Between them sits a sequence the chart records but does not explain: a bulge at 45–49 (born about 1977–81) and a notch at 40–44 (born about 1982–86), roughly 9% narrower than the bands on either side.
Below replacement for a generation
Fertility fell below replacement in the late 1990s and is now about 1.2 children per woman, well below most of Africa; the lowest fertility rates ranking shows how it compares worldwide. Each band under 30 is smaller than the one above it, and the 0–4 band is little more than half the size of the 30–34 band. The UN puts the population peak in 2015, at about 1.29 million, and deaths first exceeded births in 2022. The replacement-level fertility guide explains why a rate this low leads to steady decline unless immigration makes up the difference.
A male surplus in the working ages
Men outnumber women by about 106–111 to 100 at ages 25–44. That is unusual for a country that records modest net emigration overall, about 84,000 people between 2000 and 2023, and it is consistent with the recruitment of foreign workers, many of them men, in manufacturing and construction, though the pyramid alone cannot show who arrived and who left. Above 60 the usual female majority returns, with 70 men per 100 women at ages 80–84.
In 2026 Mauritius’s age structure is closest to those of Chile, Thailand and several small Caribbean states. Under the UN medium scenario its population falls to about 1.1 million in 2050, when about a quarter of residents are expected to be 65 or older.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45–49 | 1977–1981 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +15% |
| 60–64 | 1962–1966 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +11% |
Deaths have exceeded births every year since 2025; they also did so in 2022, but births then outnumbered deaths again. People aged 65 and older came to outnumber children under 15 between 2025 and 2026.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Mauritius is projected to record 11,254 births (about 31 births a day) and 11,933 deaths, a natural decrease of 679. Net migration adds −2,679 people, ranking #184 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 369,102 births, 224,375 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −83,801. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −43,069 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 78.6 years53.3 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 72.5 years50.7 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 17.4 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 11.0per 1,000 births · 89 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 12.6per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 29.5 yearssex ratio at birth 103.5
Women in Mauritius are projected to live 6.1 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 89 to 11.0 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #103 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 29.5 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Mauritius
The median age of 38.3 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.21 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 75.4 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,265,059 | #160 | Largest first |
| Median age | 38.3 years | #83 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.21 | #219 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -0.3% | #194 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 75.4 years | #125 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 14.7% | #87 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Mauritius
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30–34 | 102,962 | 8.1% | 53.9K / 49K |
| 2 | 35–39 | 99,646 | 7.9% | 52.4K / 47.2K |
| 3 | 45–49 | 99,027 | 7.8% | 50.4K / 48.6K |
| 4 | 25–29 | 93,593 | 7.4% | 48.1K / 45.5K |
| 5 | 20–24 | 91,466 | 7.2% | 45.8K / 45.6K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Mauritius has 630,154 males and 634,904 females. That is 99.3 males per 100 females, ranking #89 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 49.8% of the population and females for 50.2%. There are 4,750 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 82.5 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 103.5 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Mauritius has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 525,558 in 1950 to 1,265,059 in 2026, a change of 141%. Over the same span, median age moved from 18.0 to 38.3 years.
The under-15 share changed from 42.8% to 14.3%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.3% to 14.7%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Mauritius’s population is projected to decline by about 12%, reaching 1,107,197 in 2050. The median age changes from 38.3 to 49.1 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 11.4 percentage points to 26.1%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 11.4%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest estimated population of 1,292,275 in 2015. Historical population totals are estimates rather than exact head counts. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 525,558 | 18.0 | 6.03 | 51.9 | 22,211 | 7,744 | +797 | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 680,331 | 16.1 | 5.90 | 58.4 | 26,810 | 6,879 | −7,083 | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 827,696 | 17.4 | 3.82 | 63.7 | 21,197 | 6,202 | −1,281 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 954,216 | 20.8 | 2.80 | 66.5 | 23,469 | 6,649 | −1,739 | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 1,089,024 | 24.6 | 2.30 | 69.8 | 22,622 | 6,950 | −1,938 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1,216,629 | 28.0 | 1.98 | 71.8 | 20,154 | 7,757 | −2,326 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1,282,709 | 31.8 | 1.49 | 73.6 | 14,941 | 8,789 | −2,624 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 1,283,223 | 35.9 | 1.39 | 74.7 | 13,324 | 10,589 | −5,895 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 1,273,588 | 36.9 | 1.24 | 74.9 | 11,804 | 11,124 | −2,824 | -0.2% |
| 2024* | 1,271,169 | 37.4 | 1.23 | 75.1 | 11,600 | 11,502 | −2,787 | -0.2% |
| 2026* | 1,265,059 | 38.3 | 1.21 | 75.4 | 11,254 | 11,933 | −2,679 | -0.3% |
| 2030* | 1,250,432 | 40.2 | 1.21 | 76.1 | 10,733 | 12,817 | −1,773 | -0.3% |
| 2040* | 1,195,223 | 44.9 | 1.27 | 77.8 | 9,260 | 14,876 | −1,665 | -0.6% |
| 2050* | 1,107,197 | 49.1 | 1.31 | 79.5 | 7,358 | 15,898 | −1,352 | -0.9% |
| 2060* | 1,003,907 | 52.9 | 1.35 | 81.2 | 6,483 | 15,912 | −1,209 | -1.1% |
| 2070* | 895,473 | 55.0 | 1.38 | 82.8 | 5,728 | 15,753 | −1,078 | -1.2% |
| 2080* | 783,338 | 55.6 | 1.41 | 84.3 | 4,761 | 15,161 | −826 | -1.4% |
| 2090* | 674,494 | 55.9 | 1.43 | 85.7 | 4,146 | 13,708 | −696 | -1.5% |
| 2100* | 581,716 | 56.3 | 1.45 | 87.0 | 3,719 | 11,343 | −634 | -1.4% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 28,999 | 28,433 | 57,432 | 4.5% |
| 5–9 | 29,453 | 30,663 | 60,116 | 4.8% |
| 10–14 | 31,439 | 32,016 | 63,455 | 5.0% |
| 15–19 | 37,815 | 39,244 | 77,059 | 6.1% |
| 20–24 | 45,827 | 45,639 | 91,466 | 7.2% |
| 25–29 | 48,094 | 45,499 | 93,593 | 7.4% |
| 30–34 | 53,941 | 49,021 | 102,962 | 8.1% |
| 35–39 | 52,399 | 47,247 | 99,646 | 7.9% |
| 40–44 | 47,100 | 43,369 | 90,469 | 7.2% |
| 45–49 | 50,383 | 48,644 | 99,027 | 7.8% |
| 50–54 | 41,291 | 41,152 | 82,443 | 6.5% |
| 55–59 | 39,318 | 39,826 | 79,144 | 6.3% |
| 60–64 | 39,916 | 42,151 | 82,067 | 6.5% |
| 65–69 | 32,544 | 36,025 | 68,569 | 5.4% |
| 70–74 | 24,487 | 28,092 | 52,579 | 4.2% |
| 75–79 | 15,336 | 19,680 | 35,016 | 2.8% |
| 80–84 | 7,027 | 10,052 | 17,079 | 1.4% |
| 85–89 | 3,274 | 5,100 | 8,374 | 0.7% |
| 90–94 | 1,173 | 2,356 | 3,529 | 0.3% |
| 95–99 | 291 | 591 | 882 | 0.1% |
| 100+ | 49 | 108 | 157 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Mauritius’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Chile96% overlap · median age 37.4
- Antigua and Barbuda95% overlap · median age 36.7
- Thailand95% overlap · median age 41.0
- Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba95% overlap · median age 39.7
- Dominica95% overlap · median age 36.6
- Luxembourg95% overlap · median age 39.7
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Mauritius.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Mauritius Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/mauritius/
MLA
“Mauritius Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/mauritius/.
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World Population Pyramid. “Mauritius Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/mauritius/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Mauritius in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Mauritius's population in 2026 is projected at 1,265,059.
What is the median age in Mauritius?
The projected median age in Mauritius in 2026 is 38.3 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Mauritius?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.21 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Mauritius's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will decline by about 12%, from 1.3M to 1.1M.
What share of Mauritius is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 14.7% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 26.1%.
How many babies are born in Mauritius each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 11,254 births and 11,933 deaths in 2026, about 31 births a day. Deaths exceed births by 679.
What is life expectancy in Mauritius for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 78.6 years for women and 72.5 years for men, a gap of 6.1 years in favour of women.
Does Mauritius have more immigrants or emigrants?
Mauritius is projected to lose about 2,679 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −83,801.
What is the sex ratio in Mauritius?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 99.3 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.