India-Mauritius Relations Explained

Few bilateral partnerships in the world rest on foundations as deep as India-Mauritius relations. Roughly seven in every ten Mauritians trace their ancestry to India, and the island nation in the south-western Indian Ocean has been described by successive Indian governments as a family rather than merely a friend. The bond began with the arrival of indentured labourers from the Indian subcontinent in the 1830s and has since grown into a multi-layered partnership covering politics, security, finance, development and culture.

Today the relationship is shaped by two forces that reinforce each other. The first is shared heritage: language, religion, food, festivals and family networks. The second is geography. Mauritius sits astride important sea lanes and commands a very large exclusive economic zone, which makes it central to India’s vision of a secure, open and cooperative Indian Ocean. This explainer traces how the relationship evolved, what its main pillars are, and where friction and debate have appeared along the way.

Quick Facts

Historical Roots: From Indentured Labour to Nationhood

The human story of India-Mauritius relations begins before either country existed in its modern form. After the British abolished slavery across their empire, sugar planters in Mauritius needed a new workforce. Between 1834 and the early twentieth century, hundreds of thousands of Indians were shipped to the island under the indenture system, many from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Maharashtra. The first batch landed at Aapravasi Ghat in Port Louis in November 1834, and the site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised in 2006 as a symbol of the global indenture experience.

Gandhi and the Mauritian link

Mahatma Gandhi visited Mauritius in 1901 on his way back from South Africa and urged the Indian community to pursue education and political participation. His influence endured. Mauritius deliberately chose 12 March as its Independence Day, the date on which Gandhi began the Dandi Salt March in 1930. Leaders such as Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the first Prime Minister, drew on that tradition when steering the island toward independence from Britain in 1968.

Early diplomatic ties

India opened a diplomatic mission in Port Louis before Mauritian independence, and the two countries have exchanged high-level visits regularly since. India was among the first to recognise the new state in 1968 and has consistently supported its economic and political consolidation.

The Demographic and Cultural Bond

The population profile of Mauritius is unusual. Indo-Mauritians form the largest community, living alongside Creole, Franco-Mauritian and Sino-Mauritian communities in a plural society. Hindus form the biggest religious group, and Muslims, Christians and others make up the rest. This diversity is part of why Mauritius is often cited as a model of multi-ethnic coexistence.

For India, the diaspora link has diplomatic value. Indian-origin Mauritians have held the country’s highest political offices, and many Mauritian leaders have visited ancestral villages in India. Several Mauritians are eligible for the Person of Indian Origin and Overseas Citizen of India categories, and the island has been a regular participant in diaspora events organised by India.

Features of everyday cultural life

• Bhojpuri, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Urdu are all taught or used in community life.
• Diwali, Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Thaipusam and Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated as major festivals, and several are public holidays.
• The Geet Gawai, a Bhojpuri wedding folk tradition, was inscribed by UNESCO on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.
• Indian classical music, dance, yoga and Bollywood films enjoy a wide following.

Language, Education and Cultural Institutions

Cultural diplomacy is one of the oldest instruments in India-Mauritius relations. The Mahatma Gandhi Institute at Moka, set up in 1970 with Indian support, teaches Indian languages, music, dance and fine arts and functions as a university-level centre for Indian studies. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture, established in the 1970s, runs classes and cultural programmes in the capital. The Rabindranath Tagore Institute and the Swami Vivekananda Centre for Indian Culture add to the network.

The World Hindi Secretariat, headquartered in Mauritius, was established through an agreement between the two governments and works to promote Hindi as an international language. Its location in Mauritius reflects the central place the island occupies in the Hindi-speaking diaspora.

Scholarships and training

India offers Mauritian students and civil servants places through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme (ITEC), the Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship scheme and other training schemes. Thousands of Mauritian professionals have trained in India over the decades, in areas that range from public administration to information technology and health care.

Strategic Partnership in the Indian Ocean: SAGAR and Beyond

In March 2015, during a visit to Mauritius, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the SAGAR doctrine, an acronym for Security and Growth for All in the Region. It positioned India as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean and placed Mauritius among the key partners in this vision, together with Seychelles, Maldives and Sri Lanka. In 2025, a further articulation of the idea known as MAHASAGAR, standing for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, was announced during another visit, widening the geographic and thematic scope.

Maritime security cooperation

Mauritius has an exclusive economic zone that is vastly larger than its land area, and policing it requires capabilities beyond its own means. India has therefore supported the Mauritian National Coast Guard with ships, aircraft and training. India built and delivered an offshore patrol vessel named Barracuda, followed by other vessels, and has supplied Dornier surveillance aircraft and Dhruv helicopters. Indian naval ships make regular port calls, and the two sides cooperate on hydrography, coastal surveillance and white-shipping information exchange.

Regional forums

Both countries work together in the Indian Ocean Rim Association and other regional platforms, and India has long engaged with Mauritius on blue-economy initiatives such as sustainable fisheries, ocean research and marine-spatial planning.

Agalega: Infrastructure in the Outer Islands

Agalega is a pair of small islands about a thousand kilometres north of mainland Mauritius, home to a few hundred residents. For decades, the islanders depended on irregular sea transport for supplies and medical help. India agreed to finance and build a new airstrip and a jetty, along with related facilities, and the infrastructure was inaugurated in February 2024 by the two Prime Ministers in a joint virtual ceremony.

Why Agalega matters

• It improves connectivity, emergency medical evacuation and supplies for local residents.
• It strengthens Mauritian capacity to monitor illegal fishing, smuggling and piracy across a vast ocean area.
• It allows aircraft and vessels of both countries to operate more easily in the western Indian Ocean.

Commentators in some countries have speculated about a military purpose. Both governments have said that Agalega remains under Mauritian sovereignty and that the project is meant to strengthen Mauritian capacity and connectivity. Opposition groups in Mauritius have at times raised questions about transparency, which is part of normal democratic debate on a major project.

Development Assistance and Lines of Credit

India has been among Mauritius’s most important development partners. Assistance flows through grants, concessional lines of credit and capacity-building schemes. Unlike conditional lending in some other contexts, the Indian approach emphasises projects selected by the recipient government, often delivered by Indian contractors and public-sector firms.

Flagship projects

• Metro Express: Mauritius’s first modern light rail system, linking Port Louis with the towns of the central plateau. Its first phase opened in 2019-2020 and was financed through an Indian grant and line of credit, with Indian companies participating in design and construction.
• Supreme Court building in Port Louis: a new judicial complex built with Indian support and inaugurated in 2020.
• Social housing: a programme of dwelling units for lower-income families, part of an Indian-funded package of high-impact community development projects.
• Ear, Nose and Throat hospital and other health projects: Indian assistance has helped to add specialist care capacity.
• Civil Service College and training facilities: institutional assistance for public administration.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 oil spill from the vessel Wakashio off the Mauritian coast, India dispatched medical supplies, vaccines and technical teams, reinforcing its image as a first responder in the neighbourhood.

The Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement

No aspect of India-Mauritius relations has drawn more attention in financial circles than the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). Signed in 1982, the treaty exempted capital gains on shares of Indian companies sold by Mauritian-resident entities from Indian tax, taxing them only in Mauritius, where such gains were not taxed. Mauritius emerged as the largest conduit for foreign investment into India and developed a thriving offshore financial sector.

Concerns and reform

The same feature gave rise to concerns about treaty shopping, in which investors from third countries routed money through Mauritius to avoid tax, and about round-tripping of domestic funds. After years of discussion, a protocol signed in 2016 shifted to source-based taxation of capital gains on shares, effective from April 2017, with a transition period of reduced rates and grandfathering for older investments. It also introduced limitation-of-benefit provisions to prevent abuse. A further protocol in 2024 added anti-abuse language aligned with international standards.

Timeline of tax treaty milestones

Trade, Investment and Financial Connectivity

Trade between the two countries is modest in global terms, but India is one of the largest suppliers of goods to Mauritius, especially petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, cereals, machinery and textiles. Mauritius exports a smaller range of goods, including some textiles, sugar and speciality products.

The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement, signed in February 2021 and operational later that year, was India’s first trade agreement with an African country. It covers trade in goods, services, rules of origin, dispute settlement and cooperation, giving preferential access to a range of products. It is also seen as a model for engagement with other African partners, since Mauritius is a gateway to the continent for Indian business.

Digital and payment links

In 2024, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and RuPay card services were launched in Mauritius. This allows easier payments for the many Indian tourists and enables Mauritians to use Indian-style digital payments. Both sides have also encouraged the use of local currencies in trade settlement.

Shared Positions in Multilateral Forums

India and Mauritius generally coordinate on questions of decolonisation, development finance and climate change. India has backed Mauritius in its long-running dispute with the United Kingdom over the Chagos Archipelago, supporting the principle of completing decolonisation. An advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in 2019 and a United Nations General Assembly resolution the same year strengthened the Mauritian position, and the two countries have consulted closely on the matter since.

Mauritius is a Commonwealth member and a participant in the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. India values its voice as a small island developing state, particularly in climate negotiations. Both countries support the International Solar Alliance and cooperate on disaster resilience and renewable energy. Mauritius has also been a steady supporter of India’s aspirations for a larger role in global governance, including reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

No relationship is free from complexity. Some Mauritians worry about sovereignty perceptions around infrastructure projects. Others watch the balance between India and other partners such as China, which has also been active in Mauritius through trade and investment. The Mauritian government has typically responded by pursuing a pragmatic multi-partner policy while keeping India at the centre of its security thinking.

Areas with growth potential

• Blue economy, including offshore wind, ocean energy and sustainable fisheries.
• Financial technology, green finance and the use of Mauritius as a financial hub for African investment.
• Education, with Indian institutions and universities exploring branch campuses and joint programmes.
• Health and pharmaceuticals, including affordable medicines and telemedicine.
• Tourism and people-to-people exchanges, building on diaspora ties.

Conclusion

India-Mauritius relations stand out because they combine emotion with strategy. A shared ancestry, a common democratic tradition and compatible interests in the Indian Ocean give the partnership a stability that few bilateral ties enjoy. Infrastructure such as the Metro Express and the Agalega facilities, financial arrangements such as the tax treaty and the trade agreement, and cultural institutions such as the Mahatma Gandhi Institute together form a dense web of connections. As the Indian Ocean gains weight in global politics, this partnership is likely to remain a keystone of India’s maritime outlook. This content was last reviewed on 4 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are India and Mauritius so close?

About 70 per cent of Mauritians are of Indian origin, descended largely from indentured labourers who arrived from 1834 onwards. This shared ancestry, along with common languages, festivals and a democratic tradition, gives the ties a cultural depth. Strategic interests in the Indian Ocean add a modern dimension.

What is the Agalega project?

Agalega is a group of small Mauritian islands in the Indian Ocean. India financed and built an airstrip, a jetty and related facilities there, which were inaugurated in February 2024. Both governments say the project improves connectivity and maritime surveillance while the islands remain under Mauritian sovereignty.

What is SAGAR and how does it involve Mauritius?

SAGAR stands for Security and Growth for All in the Region and was announced by India in Mauritius in March 2015. It sets out India’s approach of cooperative maritime security, economic partnership and capacity building in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is one of its key partners, particularly in coast guard and surveillance cooperation.

What is the India-Mauritius double taxation treaty?

The Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, signed in 1982, originally allowed capital gains on Indian shares held by Mauritian entities to be taxed only in Mauritius. Because of concerns about misuse, a 2016 protocol moved to source-based taxation from April 2017, and a 2024 protocol added further anti-abuse provisions.

What is the Metro Express?

The Metro Express is a light rail system in Mauritius connecting Port Louis with towns in the central plateau. It was built with Indian financial support, including a grant and a line of credit, and began operations in 2019-2020. It is one of the most visible symbols of India-Mauritius development cooperation.

Did India and Mauritius sign a trade agreement?

Yes. The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement was signed in February 2021 and came into effect later that year. It was India’s first trade agreement with an African country and covers goods, services and economic cooperation.

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