Economía - descripción: Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low income, agriculturally based economy to a middle income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been of the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. A record-setting drought severely damaged the sugar crop in 1999, however. The government's development strategy centers on foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Economic performance in 1991-99 continued strong with solid growth and low unemployment.

Producto Bruto Interno (PBI): purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (1999 est.)

PBI - Indice de Incremento real: 4% (1999 est.)

PBI - por capital: purchasing power parity - $10,400 (1999 est.)

PBI - Composición por Sector:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 29%
services: 61% (1996)

Población bajo linea de pobertad: 10.6% (1992 est.)

Ingreso en casa o porcentage de consumción:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Indice de Inflación (precios del consumidor): 6.8% (1999)

Fuerza Laboral: 514,000 (1995)

Fuerza Laboral - por ocupación: construction and industry 36%, services 24%, agriculture and fishing 14%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, transportation and communication 7%, finance 3% (1995)

Indice de desempleo: 2% (1996 est.)

Presupuesto:
revenues: $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industrias: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (1999 est.)

Electricidad - Producción: 1.225 billion kWh (1998)

Electricidad - producción por fuente:
fossil fuel: 91.84%
hydro: 8.16%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

Electricidad - consumción: 1.139 billion kWh (1998)

Electricidad - exportaciones: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricidad - importaciones: 0 kWh (1998)

Agricultura - productos: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Exportaciones: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exporationes - comodidades: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses

Exportaciones - socios: UK 32%, France 19%, US 14%, Germany 6%, Italy 4% (1997)

Importaciones: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Importaciones - comodidades: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals (1996)

Importaciones - socios: France 19%, South Africa 12%, India 9%, Hong Kong 7%, UK 6% (1997)

Deuda - externa: $1.9 billion (1998 est.)

Ayuda economica - recipiente: $42 million (1997)

Moneda: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents

Indice de intercambio: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1 - 25.485 (January 2000), 25.186 (1999), 22.993 (1998), 21.057 (1997), 17.948 (1996), 17.386 (1995)

A�o Fiscal: 1 July - 30 June