Photo: Damiano Luchetti · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Mauritius: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Mauritius is placed 72nd of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 89.38 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.814 (2025).
Share
Gender & Equality
72nd
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
- 89.38Women, Business and the Law, 2025WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.814Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- 18.08Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025Firms with a female top manager (%)
- —Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Mauritius on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
89.38
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Mauritius: 89.38. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 3.125 (Afghanistan) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.
- World median
- 81.25
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 91.88 Rwanda
Key 2 of 4
Women's Political Empowerment Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.814
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Mauritius: 0.814. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.
- World median
- 0.772
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 0.908 Seychelles
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Mauritius’s is from 2023 · CC BY 4.0
18.08
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
Mauritius: 18.08. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.
- World median
- 19.16
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 37.34 Madagascar
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
No reading
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
OECD publishes no 2023 figure for Mauritius, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.
- World median
- 25.2
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 19 Rwanda
02Over time
Which way Mauritius is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Women, Business and the Law
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) · higher is better
MauritiusWorld median
Mauritius rose from 69.38 in 2000 to 89.38 in 2025; the world median went from 63.13 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Mauritius World median 2025 89 81.3 2023 89 81.3 2022 89 80.3 2021 89 80.0 2020 89 79.7 2019 89 78.8 2018 89 77.5 2017 89 77.5 2016 89 76.9 2015 87 75.9 2014 87 75.6 2013 84 75.0 2012 84 73.8 2011 84 73.1 2010 84 73.1 2009 84 72.5 2008 69 71.3 2007 69 69.7 2006 69 68.8 2005 69 67.2 2004 69 66.9 2003 69 64.7 2002 69 63.8 2001 69 63.8 2000 69 63.1 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
MauritiusWorld median
Mauritius rose from 0.717 in 2000 to 0.814 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Mauritius World median 2025 0.814 0.7715 2024 0.780 0.7745 2023 0.776 0.7755 2022 0.791 0.7825 2021 0.801 0.7785 2020 0.820 0.7755 2019 0.848 0.7665 2018 0.819 0.7715 2017 0.816 0.7710 2016 0.822 0.7780 2015 0.822 0.7755 2014 0.815 0.7795 2013 0.838 0.7730 2012 0.812 0.7740 2011 0.810 0.7650 2010 0.810 0.7610 2009 0.780 0.7515 2008 0.780 0.7505 2007 0.780 0.7380 2006 0.780 0.7290 2005 0.778 0.7350 2004 0.721 0.7205 2003 0.717 0.7160 2002 0.717 0.7150 2001 0.717 0.6950 2000 0.717 0.6810
03In context
Mauritius beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, never a place within the region.
Mauritius and Eastern Africa
Mauritius has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 183; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Women, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) | Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1) | Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%) | Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Seychelles | =43rd | 79.38 | 0.908 | 26.31 | — |
 Rwanda | 60th | 91.88 | 0.626 | 28.1 | 19 |
| Mauritius | 72nd | 89.38 | 0.814 | 18.08 | — |
 Zimbabwe | 86th | 86.88 | 0.727 | 17.77 | 19.3 |
 Mozambique | =97th | 79.38 | 0.725 | 21.32 | 20.7 |
 Madagascar | 100th | 81.25 | 0.704 | 37.34 | 41 |
 Zambia | 103rd | 83.75 | 0.791 | 18.42 | 29.5 |
 Kenya | =106th | 83.75 | 0.804 | 17.75 | 32.9 |
 Uganda | 108th | 80.63 | 0.636 | 22.61 | 27.4 |
 Djibouti | 110th | 71.25 | 0.584 | 31.61 | — |
 Tanzania | 115th | 81.25 | 0.834 | 17.51 | 49.6 |
 Malawi | =125th | 80 | 0.755 | 13.51 | 31.5 |
 Ethiopia | 127th | 80 | 0.691 | 16.44 | 30.8 |
 Burundi | 142nd | 76.25 | 0.653 | 11 | 40.7 |
 Comoros | 144th | 65 | 0.556 | 20.55 | 54.7 |
 South Sudan | =151st | 73.75 | 0.476 | 10.55 | 40.6 |
 Eritrea | 165th | 69.38 | 0.151 | 7.647 | — |
 Somalia | =168th | 55.63 | 0.337 | 9.172 | 51.3 |
| Somaliland | not placed | — | 0.468 | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Eastern Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
The countries immediately above and below Mauritius in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Mauritius is ahead of the world, and behind
21 more statistics filed under gender & equality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median9
Statistics on which Mauritius does better than the middle country measured.
Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 3283▲ Improved since 2015
Mauritius: 28 · world median 3 · Paid paternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 196; higher is better.
Account Ownership Among WomenWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 71.2487.4471.24No real change since 2014
Mauritius: 87.44 · world median 71.24 · Women with an account (% of women aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.91 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 40th of 139 · derived.
Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 9811298▲ Improved since 2015
Mauritius: 112 · world median 98 · Paid maternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 410; higher is better.
Births Attended by Skilled Health StaffUNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance) · 2023 · world median 99.399.899.3▲ Improved since 2013
Mauritius: 99.8 · world median 99.3 · Births attended by skilled health staff (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 60.9 to 100; higher is better.
Position 23rd of 84 · derived.
Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.1239.5835.12No earlier reading
Mauritius: 39.58 · world median 35.12 · Firms with at least one woman among the owners (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.273 to 86.78; higher is better.
Position 68th of 181 · derived.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.998.496.9No earlier reading
Mauritius: 98.4 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.4619.7727.46▼ Worsened since 2013
Mauritius: 19.77 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 131st of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Global Gender Parity IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 2022 · world median 0.7260.7280.726No earlier reading
Mauritius: 0.728 · world median 0.726 · Global Gender Parity Index (women's achievements relative to men's; 1 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women, 2023 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.141 to 0.925; higher is better.
Gender Parity Index, Tertiary EnrolmentUIS · 2024 · world median 1.2441.3341.244▼ Worsened since 2014
Mauritius: 1.334 · world median 1.244 · Adjusted gender parity index, tertiary gross enrolment (1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.74 to 1.83; higher is better.
Position 69th of 95 · derived.
Behind the world median6
Statistics on which Mauritius does worse than the middle country measured.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.3520.351▼ Worsened since 2013
Mauritius: 0.352 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 87th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Women's Empowerment IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 2022 · world median 0.6150.6130.615No earlier reading
Mauritius: 0.613 · world median 0.615 · Women's Empowerment Index (0–1; higher = more empowerment). UNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women, 2023 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.141 to 0.828; higher is better.
Female Share of Senior and Middle ManagementILO · 2024 · world median 35.8635.6335.86▲ Improved since 2014
Mauritius: 35.63 · world median 35.86 · Women in senior and middle management (% of managers). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 7.226 to 56.69; higher is better.
Position 45th of 86 · derived.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.6565.946.65▼ Worsened since 2013
Mauritius: 65.9 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 85th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3647.4653.36▲ Improved since 2015
Mauritius: 47.46 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 126th of 182 · derived.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2557.871.25▲ Improved since 2013
Mauritius: 57.8 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.
Position 136th of 196 · derived.
Level with the median, or no median to compare1
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.9710.971▲ Improved since 2013
Mauritius: 0.971 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 87th of 184 · derived.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1749.7338.17No earlier reading
Mauritius: 49.73 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
Female Share of STEM GraduatesUIS · 2023 · world median 35.336.1335.3Moved since 2017
Mauritius: 36.13 · world median 35.3 · STEM graduates who are women (%; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.333 to 55.96.
Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.6523.924.65No earlier reading
Mauritius: 23.9 · world median 24.65 · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years). UN DESA Population Division, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 17 to 34.
Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · 2026 · world median 33.2125.9833.21No earlier reading
Mauritius: 25.98 · world median 33.21 · Households headed by a woman (% of households). UN DESA Population Division, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 5.33 to 64.59.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1103.5105.1Moved since 2013
Mauritius: 103.5 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.
No current reading for Mauritius
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Caesarean Section Rate, Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Gender Social Norms Index, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Social Institutions and Gender Index, Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Gender & Equality among Mauritius’s 16 topics
Gender & Equality is Mauritius’s 10th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Digital & Technology20th of 1984/4 keys
- Peace & Security25th of 1774/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 34th of 1844/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation36th of 1764/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions41st of 1944/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties46th of 1984/4 keys
- Education & Knowledgejoint 61st of 1984/4 keys
- Risk & Resiliencejoint 66th of 1934/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality61st of 1593/3 keys
- Gender & Equality72nd of 1833/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital80th of 1963/3 keys
- Mobility & Trade78th of 1774/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing122nd of 2003/4 keys
- Work & Labour114th of 1824/4 keys
- Energyjoint 110th of 1653/3 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 158th of 1864/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on gender & equality
The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Mauritius can most readily be measured against.
1
LatviaNorthern Europe
1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
TaiwanEastern Asia
2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
ItalySouthern Europe
3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Africa
Cabo Verde=34th3/4 keysHighest in Eastern Africa
Seychelles=43rd3/4 keysThis page
Mauritius72nd3/4 keys
Positions out of 183 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Mauritius on gender & equality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Mauritius rank on gender & equality?
Mauritius is placed 72nd of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index and Firms with a Female Top Manager). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Mauritius?
89.38 in 2025 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.
What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Mauritius?
0.814 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.
How have Mauritius’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 69.38 in 2000 to 89.38 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.717 in 2000 to 0.814 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Mauritius?
No current reading is published for Mauritius on Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Caesarean Section Rate, Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Gender Social Norms Index, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Social Institutions and Gender Index, Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.
How the Gender & Equality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The gender & equality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firms with a Female Top Manager — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Social Institutions and Gender Index — OECD, OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
The other 21 statistics on this page come from 9 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Mauritius’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Mauritius (banner) — Damiano Luchetti, CC0
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Mauritius: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/mauritius/gender