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Poverty in Mauritius · Data & evidence

Poverty in Mauritius: Facts & Figures.

What does poverty look like in Mauritius today? Explore the latest official data on relative poverty, children, household circumstances, income, employment, social protection and Rodrigues.

Read the official report Poverty in Mauritius
Start with the definition

What does “relative poverty” mean?

Statistics Mauritius defines the Relative Poverty Line as half of the median monthly household income per adult equivalent.

In 2023, that threshold was Rs 12,378 per month. Households falling below the threshold are classified as being in relative poverty.

Relative poverty is therefore different from extreme poverty. It examines people’s economic position in relation to the living standards prevailing within the same society.

Relative Poverty Line, 2023: Rs 12,378 The threshold is expressed per adult equivalent, allowing households of different sizes and compositions to be compared.
National dashboard

Mauritius poverty indicators at a glance.

Households 7.3% 29,800 households were estimated to be living below the relative poverty line in 2023.
People 8.4% Around 101,900 people were estimated to be living in relative poverty.
Children 15.7% Poverty was particularly prevalent among children aged below 16.
Poverty line Rs 12,378 Monthly relative poverty threshold per adult equivalent.
Long-term trend

Relative poverty from 1996/97 to 2023.

Relative poverty did not move in a straight line. Rates declined in the early 2000s, rose through 2017 and then fell substantially by 2023.

Indicator 1996/97 2001/02 2006/07 2012 2017 2023
Relative poverty line Rs 2,004 Rs 2,804 Rs 3,821 Rs 5,652 Rs 7,509 Rs 12,378
Households in poverty 8.7% 7.7% 7.9% 9.4% 9.6% 7.3%
Number of households 23,800 23,700 26,100 33,600 36,400 29,800
People in poverty 8.2% 7.8% 8.5% 9.8% 10.4% 8.4%
Number of people 92,700 92,600 103,400 119,900 127,800 101,900
2017 to 2023: a clear improvement. The proportion of households in relative poverty fell from 9.6% to 7.3%, while the proportion of people fell from 10.4% to 8.4%.
Poverty by age

Children face the highest relative poverty rate.

Poverty varies sharply by age. In 2023, children and young people were considerably more exposed than older Mauritians.

Below 16 15.7% Children had the highest relative poverty rate of the four age groups.
Age 16–24 10.6% Poverty among youth remained above the overall national rate.
Age 25–59 7.7% The poverty rate among working-age adults was below the overall person-level rate.
Age 60+ 3.1% Elderly people had the lowest relative poverty rate among the age groups.
Household circumstances

Poverty is much more common in some types of household.

Three or more children 28.9% The highest poverty rate among the household characteristics highlighted in the official analysis.
Divorced or separated head 14.8% Households headed by divorced or separated people faced a significantly elevated rate.
One-parent household 12.6% Refers to one parent living with unmarried children only.
Five or more members 11.2% Larger household size is associated with greater poverty incidence.
Head below SC qualification 9.9% Nearly 89% of household heads in relative poverty did not possess a School Certificate qualification.
Female-headed households 9.9% Compared with 6.4% among male-headed households.
Average monthly household income Rs 22,200 Average income of households in relative poverty in 2023.
Income & consumption

The income gap remains substantial.

Households in relative poverty had an average monthly income of Rs 22,200 in 2023.

By comparison, the richest 10% of households had an average monthly income of Rs 157,500, around seven times as much.

Poor households Rs 22,200 Average monthly household income.
Richest 10% Rs 157,500 Average monthly household income.
Poor households Rs 17,700 Average monthly consumption expenditure.
Richest 10% Rs 76,200 Average monthly consumption expenditure.
Depth of poverty

Poverty rates tell us how many people are affected. The poverty gap tells us how far below the line they are.

Income gap ratio 21.5% The average income of poor households fell 21.5% below the relative poverty line in 2023.
Poverty gap ratio 1.8% Down from 2.5% in 2017, indicating improvement in the overall depth of poverty.
Estimated aggregate gap Rs 2.1bn Official estimate of the income shortfall required to bring people up to the poverty threshold in 2023.
Education & employment

Skills and work are strongly connected with poverty risk.

The 2023 data show strong relationships between poverty, educational attainment and labour-market participation.

Unemployed people aged 16+ 20.6% poverty rate Poverty incidence was highest among people who were unemployed and looking for or available for work.
Below School Certificate 10.0% poverty rate Poverty was higher among people aged 16+ who had not obtained at least a Cambridge School Certificate.
Poor unemployed people 76% lacked SC More than three quarters had not acquired a School Certificate qualification.
Poor unemployed people 60% were youth Six in ten were young people aged 16 to 24 years.
Role of public support

Social protection and free public services make a measurable difference.

Statistics Mauritius modelled how poverty would change if government transfers and selected free services were removed.

Actual rate 7.3% Household poverty rate recorded in 2023.
Without transfers & free services 36.4% Modelled household poverty rate without the combined support.
Without transfers 26.3% Modelled rate if government transfers were removed.
Without free education 12.8% Modelled rate without free primary and secondary education.
Without free health 10.1% Modelled rate without free public health services.
Rodrigues-specific poverty line 19.3% Proportion of people in relative poverty in Rodrigues in 2023 using a poverty threshold specific to the island.
17.4% Rodrigues households in relative poverty.
Rs 9,719 Rodrigues-specific monthly poverty line per adult equivalent.
Rodrigues

Rodrigues requires its own context.

Statistics Mauritius calculates a separate relative poverty line for Rodrigues because standards of living differ between Rodrigues and the main island of Mauritius.

Using the Rodrigues-specific threshold of Rs 9,719 per adult equivalent, 17.4% of households and 19.3% of people were in relative poverty in 2023.

If the Republic-wide threshold of Rs 12,378 is applied instead, 26.8% of Rodrigues households fall below it.

Primary source

Statistics Mauritius: Poverty Analysis 2023

The figures on this page are drawn from the official Poverty Analysis based on the 2023 Household Budget Survey. The report includes methodology, historical comparisons, household characteristics, social-protection analysis and a dedicated section on Rodrigues.

Open official report
Continue exploring

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Overview Poverty in Mauritius Understand poverty as a multidimensional issue involving income, education, health, employment, living conditions and opportunity. Return to the overview → Solutions Is Mauritian Poverty Solvable? Move from measurement to solutions and explore how policy, communities, organisations and individuals can contribute to lasting change. Explore the solutions →
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