Land use in Mauritius
Mauritius: Land use was 78,957 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
78,957 hectares
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
161st
of 224 countries
All-time high
107,000 hectares
in 1976
All-time low
78,957 hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Mauritius, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Mauritius recorded 78,957 hectares for land use in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Mauritius peaked at 107,000 hectares in 1976 and was at its lowest, 78,957 hectares, in 2023.
That places Mauritius 161st out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Mauritius, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 92,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 93,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 93,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 93,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 94,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 92,000 hectares | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 98,000 hectares | +6.5% |
| 1968 | 104,000 hectares | +6.1% |
| 1969 | 104,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 105,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 105,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 106,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 106,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 106,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 106,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 107,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 107,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 106,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 104,745 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 103,617 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 102,489 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 102,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 100,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 98,489 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 96,468 hectares | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 94,319 hectares | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 92,808 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 93,681 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 91,426 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 92,681 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 95,000 hectares | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 93,000 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 92,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 91,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 89,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 87,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 85,000 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 84,000 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 84,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 84,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 82,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 80,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 79,000 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 79,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 78,957 hectares | -0.1% |
Mauritius compared with similar countries
- Mauritius's 78,957 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 5% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Mauritius's 78,957 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 2% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 95,889 hectares | 92,000 hectares | 104,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 106,200 hectares | 105,000 hectares | 107,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 106,674 hectares | 104,745 hectares | 107,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 97,530 hectares | 91,426 hectares | 103,617 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 89,268 hectares | 84,000 hectares | 95,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 79,900 hectares | 79,000 hectares | 84,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 78,989 hectares | 78,957 hectares | 79,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mauritius
- 158 Solomon Islands 101,200 hectares compare
- 159 Equatorial Guinea 99,800 hectares compare
- 160 United Arab Emirates 91,704 hectares compare
- 162 Puerto Rico 66,200 hectares compare
- 163 Luxembourg 62,878 hectares compare
- 164 Suriname 55,432 hectares compare
More environment data for Mauritius
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 9.92 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 9.84 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.295 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Mauritius?
- Land use in Mauritius was 78,957 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Mauritius?
- The highest recorded value was 107,000 hectares in 1976.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Mauritius?
- The lowest recorded value was 78,957 hectares in 2023.
- How does Mauritius rank for land use?
- Mauritius ranks 161st out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Mauritius?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritius data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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