Population aged 65+ in Mauritius
The share of the population aged 65 and over.
Where it stands
One Mauritian in seven is 65 or older. The 2026-27 Budget Speech states that the number of workers per pensioner fell from 16 in 1962 to 4.7 in 2025 and is projected to fall to 3.0 in 2049 and 2.5 in 2064.
What it means
This is the engine behind the pension debate: more pensioners and fewer workers means each worker supports more retirees. It is why the government raised the pension age towards 65 in 2025 and proposed means-testing the pension in June 2026: a plan abandoned within days after public outcry.
Recent years
| Year | Population aged 65+ |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 11.9% |
| 2022 | 12.4% |
| 2023 | 12.9% |
| 2024 | 13.5% |
| 2025 | 14.1% |
Why it moved
2021: 11.9%: up from 10.9% in 2019.
2022: +0.5 points: low birth rates and longer lives.
2023: +0.5 points. The fertility rate is about 1.4 children per woman (1.44 in 2024, World Bank), well below the 2.1 needed to keep the population stable.
2024: +0.6 points.
2025: 14.1%: one of the oldest populations in Africa.