Nearly 70% of Mauritius’s population traces its roots to India. No other country outside India has a higher share of people of Indian origin. That single fact shapes almost everything about how India and Mauritius deal with each other today.
Must Know
- India and Mauritius established diplomatic relations in 1948. This was 20 years before Mauritius itself gained independence, in 1968.
- Nearly 70% of Mauritius’s population is of Indian origin. Their ancestors mostly arrived as indentured labourers, brought by the British from 1834 onwards, to work on sugar plantations.
- India and Mauritius signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) on 22 February 2021. It followed nearly 15 years of negotiations, and was India’s first trade agreement with any African country.
- Mauritius sits at the heart of India’s SAGAR vision (Security and Growth for All in the Region). PM Modi first announced SAGAR during a 2015 visit to Mauritius.
- India is helping develop Agalega Island, part of Mauritius, with an airstrip and jetty. This supports maritime surveillance across the Western Indian Ocean, for both countries.
- Mauritius hosts the World Hindi Secretariat. It works to promote Hindi as a global language, headquartered in Mauritius since 2008.
Good to Know
- PM Modi visited Mauritius on 11-12 March 2025. He and Mauritian PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam unveiled a Joint Vision for an Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
- During that visit, the two countries signed 8 MoUs. These covered banking, trade, cyber security, maritime security, diplomatic training, and governance reforms.
- India announced it would build Mauritius’s new Parliament building, calling it a gift from “the Mother of Democracy.”
- PM Modi received Mauritius’s highest civilian honour during the visit, for his contribution to bilateral relations.
- The March 2025 visit also launched Vision MAHASAGAR. This broader framework focuses on trade for development, capacity building, and mutual security across the Global South.
- Mauritius is a member of the Colombo Security Conclave, alongside India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The grouping cooperates on counter-terrorism, maritime security, and disaster management.
- Mauritius has historically been among the top sources of Foreign Direct Investment into India, due to favourable tax treaties. This role has declined somewhat since a 2016 amendment to the India-Mauritius tax treaty.
- India extended Mauritius a ₹487 crore rupee-denominated Line of Credit, for replacing old water pipelines under the Central Water Authority’s Pipe Replacement Programme. It was India’s first rupee-based credit line of this kind.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
- India supports Mauritius’s sovereignty claim over the Chagos Archipelago. In 2024, the United Kingdom agreed to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, while retaining the Diego Garcia military base under a long-term lease.
- Mauritius’s bilingual workforce, fluent in both English and French, makes it a natural entry point for Indian businesses into Francophone Africa. This “gateway to Africa” role is a recurring theme in bilateral discussions.
- China has also expanded its footprint in Mauritius, through projects like the Jinfei Smart City and port investments. This adds a layer of strategic competition to India’s own engagement with the island nation.
- The relationship is often called civilisational rather than transactional. Shared ancestry, language, and religion give it a depth that purely economic ties don’t usually carry.
Current Affairs
- 28 June 2026: PM Modi met Mauritian PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam in Victoria, Seychelles, on the sidelines of Seychelles’ Golden Jubilee National Day celebrations.
- This was PM Modi’s fourth meeting with PM Ramgoolam, since the latter took office in November 2024.
- The two leaders reviewed progress on India’s Special Economic Package for Mauritius, covering healthcare, connectivity, sustainable development, and the blue economy.
- They reaffirmed the significance of the India-Mauritius Enhanced Strategic Partnership, under Vision MAHASAGAR and India’s Neighbourhood First policy.
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