Overview

The economy is based on sugar, manufacturing (mainly textiles), and tourism. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 40% of export earnings. The government's development strategy is centered on industrialization (with a view to exports), agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in FY91 was impressive, with 6% real growth and low unemployment.

Statistics

• National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion (FY91 est.)
• National product real growth rate: 6.1% (FY91 est.)
• National product per capita: $2,300 (FY91 est.)
• Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (FY91)
• Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1991 est.)
• Budget:
  • revenues: $557 million
  • expenditures: $607 million
    • including capital expenditures of $111 million (FY90)
• Exports:
  • $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
  • commodities:
    • textiles 44%
    • sugar 40%
    • light manufactures 10%
  • partners:
    • EC and US have preferential treatment, EC 77%, US 15%
• Imports:
  • $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
  • commodities:
    • manufactured goods 50%
    • capital equipment 17%
    • foodstuffs 13%
    • petroleum products 8%
    • chemicals 7%
  • partners:
    • EC
    • US
    • South Africa
    • Japan
• External debt: $869 million (1991 est.)
• Industrial production: growth rate 7% (1990); accounts for 25% of GDP
• Electricity: (1992)
  • 235,000 kW capacity
  • 630 million kWh produced
  • 570 kWh per capita
• Industries:
  • food processing (largely sugar milling)
  • textiles
  • wearing apparel
  • chemicals
  • metal products
  • transport equipment
  • nonelectrical machinery
  • tourism
• Agriculture:
  • accounts for 10% of GDP
  • about 90% of cultivated land in sugarcane
  • other products:
    • tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses, cattle, goats, fish
  • net food importer, especially rice and fish
• Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
• Economic aid:
  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $76 million
  • Western (non-US) countries (1970-89), $709 million
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $54 million
• Currency: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents
• Exchange rates - Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US $1:
  • 16.982 (January 1993), 15.563 (1992), 15.652 (1991), 14.839 (1990), 15.250 (1989), 13.438 (1988)
• Fiscal year: July 1 through June 30