That dollar amount represents a -30.3% decline from $1.98 billion in 2018.
Year over year, overall sales of Mauritian exported products shrank by -18.1% compared to $1.68 billion during 2021.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2022, the Mauritian rupee depreciated by -30.2% against the US dollar since 2018 and diluted by -6% from 2021 to 2022. The weaker local currency for Mauritius makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.
The top 5 most valuable exports from Mauritius are fish including caviar, sugar, unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits or trousers, knitted or crocheted t-shirts and vests, then fabrics other than warp-knit. Collectively, that quintet of major exports resulted in roughly half (50.5%) of total international sales for Mauritius during 2022.
Mauritius’ Major Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 86.4% of products exported from Mauritius were bought by importers in: South Africa (15.9% of the Mauritian total), France (12.1%), United Kingdom (11%), United States of America (9.6%), Madagascar (8.7%), Spain (7.9%), Netherlands (5.2%), Italy (4.6%), India (3.7%), Kenya (3.6%), Belgium (2.4%) and Switzerland (1.9%).
From a continental perspective, over half (51.5%) of Mauritius’ exports by value was delivered to European countries while 30.3% was sold to importers in Africa. Mauritius shipped another 10.1% worth of goods to North America.
Smaller percentages went to buyers in Asia (7.2%), Oceania (0.7%) led by Australia, then Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Given Mauritius’ population of 1.262 million people, its total $1.4 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $1,100 for every resident in the African island country. That dollar metric falls below the average $1,300 per capita one year earlier for 2021.
Mauritius’ Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Mauritian global shipments during 2022 at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Mauritius.
- Meat/seafood preparations: US$250.3 million (18.1% of total exports)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $198.9 million (14.4%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: $197.1 million (14.3%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $195.5 million (14.2%)
- Knit or crochet fabric: $71.6 million (5.2%)
- Live animals: $49.4 million (3.6%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $45.3 million (3.3%)
- Gems, precious metals: $40.2 million (2.9%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $34.5 million (2.5%)
- Clocks, watches including parts: $32.4 million (2.3%)
Mauritius’ top 10 exports accounted for 80.8% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Food industry waste and animal fodder represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 48.1% from 2021 to 2022.
In second place for improving export sales was the sugar including sugar confectionery product category via a 16.1% advance.
Mauritius’ shipments of meat and seafood preparations posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 10%.
The leading decliner among Mauritius’ top 10 export categories was gems and precious metals, pulled down by a -58.8% year-over-year drop. A big part of that decline was caused by reduced revenues from exported Mauritian diamonds.
Drilling down to 4-digit HTS codes, the most valuable export goods from Mauritius are fish including preserved or prepared caviar (18.1% the Mauritian global total). Sugar (14.2%) finished ahead of unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits or trousers (8.3%), knitted or crocheted t-shirts and vests (5.8%), non-warp knit fabrics (4%), special live primates, reptiles and mammals (3.5%), electro-medical equipment including x-rays (2.8%), knitted or crocheted women’s clothing (also 2.8%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s shirts (2.5%), then knitted or crocheted jerseys and pullovers (2.3%).
Products Generating Best Trade Surpluses for Mauritius
The following types of Mauritian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Meat/seafood preparations: US$197.4 million (Up by 7.1% since 2021)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $154 million (Down by -20.1%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $129.6 million (Up by 1.7%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: $126.6 million (Up by 11.5%)
- Knit or crochet fabric: $59.3 million (Up by 8.9%)
- Live animals: $25.1 million (Down by -5.6%)
- Clocks , watches including parts: $7.6 million (Down by -18.7%)
- Woodpulp: $1.7 million (Down by -0.7%)
Mauritius has notably positive net exports in the international trade of clothing and accessories as well as meat or seafood preparations. In turn, these cashflows indicate Mauritius’ strong competitive advantages under those product categories.
Products Causing Worst Trade Deficits for Mauritius
Mauritius incurred an overall -US$5.2 billion trade deficit for 2022, expanding by 49.9% from -$3.5 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2021.
Below are exports from Mauritius that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Mauritius’ goods trail Mauritian importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$1.5 billion (Up by 69.6% since 2021)
- Vehicles: -$418.8 million (Up by 34.9%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$412.5 million (Up by 42.5%)
- Machinery including computers: -$408.4 million (Up by 21.1%)
- Fish: -$227.9 million (Up by 59.6%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$168.1 million (Up by 40.6%)
- Cereals: -$167.3 million (Up by 29.6%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$163.6 million (Down by -21.7%)
- Cotton: -$152.2 million (Up by 64.7%)
- Dairy, eggs, honey: -$139.2 million (Up by 34.9%)
Mauritius has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels-related products category, particularly for processed petroleum oils, petroleum gas and coal.
Mauritian Export Companies
Not one Mauritian corporation ranks among the Forbes Global 2000 list.
Wikipedia does list some exports-related companies from Mauritius. Selected examples are shown below.
- Emtel (telecommunications)
- ENL Group (conglomerate)
- Essar Energy (oil, gas)
- Mauritius Telecom (telecommunications)
- Phoenix Beverages (brewery)
- State Bank of Mauritius (commercial bank)
In macroeconomic terms, Mauritius’ total exported goods represent 4.1% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2022 ($33.9 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 4.1% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2022 is less than the 6% for 2021. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Mauritius’ total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Mauritius’ unemployment rate averaged 7.66% for 2022, down from an average 9.1% in 2021 according to statistics from the International Monetary Fund.
Mauritius’ capital city is Port Louis.
See also South Africa’s Top 10 Exports, Burkina Faso’s Top 10 Exports and Top African Export Countries
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook report on Africa: Mauritius. Accessed on September 30, 2023
Forbes 2022 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 30, 2023
Foreign Trade , United States Census Bureau. Accessed on September 30, 2023
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 30, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 30, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 30, 2023
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on September 30, 2023
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Mauritius. Accessed on September 30, 2023
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on September 30, 2023
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Port Louis, Mauritius. Accessed on September 30, 2023