Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper-middle income
Mauritius: the labour market
Labour force is 622,328 (2025), 157th of 187 in the world and 43rd of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 58.5% (2025), 114th of 187 in the world and 31st of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 47.5% (2025), 128th of 187 in the world and 38th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Mauritius
Participation rate
MauritiusSub-Saharan AfricaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Mauritius in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 622,3282025 | 157/187 | 43/47 | 519,717 | 584,117 | 589,990 | +0.6%since 2015 | 527m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 58.5%2025 | 114/187 | 31/47 | 58.8% | 59.2% | 55.7% | −1.8 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 47.5%2025 | 128/187 | 38/47 | 38.7% | 43.5% | 43.1% | +1.1 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 55.2%2025 | 112/187 | 30/47 | 53.5% | 54.7% | 50.9% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 5.6%2025 | 82/187 | 23/47 | 9.1% | 7.7% | 8.6% | −1.8 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 7.6%2025 | 65/187 | 18/47 | 11.8% | 13.1% | 10.2% | −3.1 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 17.4%2025 | 66/187 | 13/47 | 26.4% | 23.5% | 25.0% | −8.2 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 13.9%2024 | 114/170 | 39/44 | 33.8%2001 | 21.5% | 41.7% | −6.9 ppsince 2014 | — | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 82.2%2025 | 56/187 | 2/47 | 77.5% | 80.3% | 81.0% | +2.5 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 14.9%2025 | 130/187 | 46/47 | 21.8% | 17.8% | 18.0% | −3.6 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 4.7%2025 | 133/187 | 47/47 | 14.4% | 8.2% | 5.3% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 20.6%2025 | 75/187 | 7/47 | 33.5% | 28.4% | 23.4% | −4.4 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 74.7%2025 | 37/187 | 1/47 | 52.1% | 63.4% | 71.3% | +6.8 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+1.1 pp47.5% in 2025
- Unemployment−1.8 pp5.6% in 2025
- Female unemployment−3.1 pp7.6% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−8.2 pp17.4% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Employment rate−0.6 pp55.2% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Mauritius and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Mauritius. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Mauritius | France | Maldives | Seychelles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 622,3282025 | 31.9m2025 | 272,3202025 | — |
| Participation rate | 58.5%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 63.5%2025 | — |
| Women's participation | 47.5%2025 | 51.5%2025 | 40.7%2025 | — |
| Employment rate | 55.2%2025 | 51.2%2025 | 60.6%2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.6%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 4.5%2025 | — |
| Female unemployment | 7.6%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 4.1%2025 | — |
| Youth unemployment | 17.4%2025 | 18.9%2025 | 15.7%2025 | — |
| Youth NEET rate | 13.9%2024 | 11.0%2025 | 26.3%2019 | 17.8%2025 |
| Wage workers | 82.2%2025 | 86.7%2025 | 80.0%2025 | — |