Literacy rate in Mauritius
Mauritius: Literacy rate was 94.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Mauritius, 1950–2023
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate in Mauritius is 94.3%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Mauritius peaked at 94.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 52.5%, in 1950.
That places Mauritius 59th out of 128 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Literacy rate in Mauritius, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 52.5% | — |
| 1990 | 79.9% | +52.1% |
| 2000 | 84.3% | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 89.2% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 91.8% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 91.5% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 92.5% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 92.7% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 93.2% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 93.0% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 94.3% | +1.4% |
Mauritius compared with similar countries
- Mauritius's 94.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 99% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Mauritius's 94.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.9%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 52.5% | 52.5% | 52.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 79.9% | 79.9% | 79.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 84.3% | 84.3% | 84.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 91.8% | 89.2% | 93.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 93.6% | 93.0% | 94.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mauritius
More education data for Mauritius
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9,330 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 13,956 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13,539 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 100,395 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 84,530 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -5.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0679 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Mauritius?
- Literacy rate in Mauritius was 94.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Mauritius?
- The highest recorded value was 94.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Mauritius?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.5% in 1950.
- How does Mauritius rank for literacy rate?
- Mauritius ranks 59th out of 128 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Mauritius?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritius data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.