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News release

Mauritians expect economic conditions to worsen over the coming year, Afrobarometer study shows

24 May 2022 Mauritius
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News release
Key findings
  • Two-thirds (66%) of Mauritians say the country is going in the wrong direction, representing a 16-percentage-point increase since 2017 (Figure 1).
  • More than six out of 10 Mauritians (63%) consider the current economic situation either “very bad” or “fairly bad,” a 26-percentage-point increase since 2017 (Figure 2).
  • Almost two-thirds (63%) of citizens expect that the economic situation will worsen in the next 12 months (Figure 3).
  • Management of the economy is the problem most widely seen as a top priority for government action, cited by almost half of Mauritians (45%). Unemployment (44%) and crime/security follow (41%), each cited by more than four in 10 respondents (Figure 4).
  • The younger generation (62% of 18- to 24-year-olds) is more likely to say that unemployment is among the country’s most important problems (Figure 5).

A large majority of Mauritians say that the country is going in the wrong direction and that the economic situation will probably worsen over the coming year, a recent Afrobarometer survey indicates.

Mauritians perceive management of the economy as the top priority that the government should address, followed closely by unemployment and crime/security. COVID-19 also features on the list of the most urgent problems to be addressed.