Who Buys Property in Mauritius? Foreign Buyer Nationality, Age and Budget (EDB Data)

Between 2005 and 2023, 5,396 residential units were sold in Mauritius under the IRS, RES, PDS, Smart City and G+2 schemes — the frameworks that give foreigners access to property ownership — for a combined value of Rs 156.6 billion, according to the EDB Insights report published by the Economic Development Board in June 2024. It’s the only document that cross-references nationality, age and budget across nearly two decades, and it paints a picture quite different from the retired European sun-seeker stereotype.

Which nationalities are buying?

76 different nationalities have invested in Mauritian residential property since 2005, 42 of them in 2023 alone. The top 10 nationalities account for 90% of all buyers, with French and South African buyers forming the two largest groups. Mauritian buyers, for their part, make up 9% of all transactions recorded under these schemes.

Broken down by continent, the split of buyers is clear:

On the G+2 apartment segment alone — the most accessible entry point for a foreign buyer, with prices starting well below IRS or RES villas — French and South African buyers together make up 73% of sales (51% and 22% respectively), followed by other European nationalities at 15%.

How old are the buyers?

61% of buyers are over 50, including 6 percentage points aged over 80 — a share that has kept climbing since 2010, the year the over-50 segment first crossed 60% and never dropped back below it. Buyers under 50 remain a minority, at 39%.

This profile varies sharply by nationality: among Swiss, French and South African buyers, the share aged over 50 reaches 67%, 66% and 64% respectively. Russian buyers, by contrast, are mostly under 50. Belgian and British buyers sit closer to the market average, at 53% and 49%.

What budget, for which type of property?

The average sale price across all property types stands at Rs 28 million over 2005-2023; on resale, it climbs to Rs 38 million on average since 2007. 70% of units sold fall between Rs 4 million and Rs 30 million, against 30% above that threshold. Only 123 transactions, or 2% of total volume, went above Rs 100 million — the luxury end of the Mauritian market.

The G+2 segment, open to all non-citizens since the law was relaxed, trades in a much tighter range: 67% of transactions close between Rs 6 million and Rs 15 million, with a further 21% up to Rs 24 million. Sales above Rs 50 million remain marginal there, at under 1%. It’s the most realistic entry budget for a buyer discovering the Mauritian market — and interest from the 20-50 age bracket in this segment has been growing.

Buying in your own name, or through a structure?

69% of non-citizen buyers purchase in their own name, alone or jointly with a spouse. The remaining 31% go through a structure: a company (20.7% of transactions), a civil partnership (7.1%) — a route chosen by 12% of French buyers specifically — or a trust, which has gained noticeable traction since the pandemic (2.9% of the total). British and South African buyers relied more on commercial companies in the market’s early years, before South Africans increasingly shifted to trusts.

Where are they buying?

The North and West together account for 78% of sales volume since 2005, with the North alone representing 51% of all transactions over the period. The East records the highest average prices on the island, driven by a small number of ultra-high-end projects, while the North and West — where most sales actually close — have kept a steadier, more stable average over time.

And since 2023?

The EDB report stops at the end of 2023. For 2025, EDB Chief Executive Mahen Abhimanu Kundasamy told L’Express that 862 residential purchase authorisations had been granted, a level he described as solid and reflective of sustained appeal for Mauritius’s residential offering — without breaking down that figure by nationality or age.

What this profile means for a purchase project

These figures point to a typical buyer who is European or South African, often over 50, and who buys in their own name rather than through a structure — none of which changes the legal steps of the purchase, which stay the same for any foreign buyer regardless of profile. But the growing share of younger buyers on the G+2 segment, cheaper than IRS or RES, shows the Mauritian market is no longer reserved for a single wealth profile. To see where a purchase project sits against these budget and regional benchmarks, the regional price guide and the new-build catalogue make it possible to compare an intention to buy against what the market actually shows.

Sources and verification

• EDB Insights – Highlights of the Property Market in Mauritius, June 2024 (Economic Development Board)
• Report publication page (Economic Development Board)
• Interview with Mahen Abhimanu Kundasamy, EDB Chief Executive (L’Express, 26 February 2026)