{"id":328722,"date":"2026-09-01T09:10:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T05:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/real-estate-mauritius.mu\/is-mauritius-safe\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T09:10:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T05:10:37","slug":"is-mauritius-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/real-estate-mauritius.mu\/en\/is-mauritius-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Mauritius Safe? What the 2025 Crime Figures Actually Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2025, Mauritius recorded 43.3 offences per 1,000 inhabitants excluding road contraventions, against 42.8 the year before \u2014 a rise of just 1%. Over the same period, offences against property, the category that covers most burglaries, fell by 11.4%, according to official figures published in June 2026 by Statistics Mauritius. For a foreign resident, the real risk is therefore not generalised violence but opportunistic theft: a break-in at an isolated house, a bag left in plain sight in a car, belongings left unattended on a beach.<\/p>\n

What the official 2025 figures show<\/h2>\n

The latest Crime, Justice and Security Statistics<\/em> report from Statistics Mauritius, published in June 2026, covers the 2025 calendar year and allows a category-by-category comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Change from 2024 to 2025 in the main indicators (Statistics Mauritius)<\/caption>\n
Indicator<\/th>\n2024<\/th>\n2025<\/th>\nChange<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Total reported offences (excluding contraventions)<\/td>\n53,331<\/td>\n53,867<\/td>\n+1.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Offences against property (including burglary)<\/td>\n13,519<\/td>\n11,981<\/td>\n-11.4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drug-related offences<\/td>\n4,373<\/td>\n4,913<\/td>\n+12.3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intentional homicide (per 100,000 inhabitants)<\/td>\n2.8<\/td>\n2.7<\/td>\nstable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Road traffic contraventions<\/td>\n317,144<\/td>\n352,296<\/td>\n+11.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Two things stand out. First, the category that most directly affects a foreign owner or tenant \u2014 offences against property \u2014 is improving markedly. Second, the sharpest increases are in drug-related offences and speeding, two areas that depend far more on personal conduct than on risk you simply have to absorb.<\/p>\n

The real risk is burglary, not assault<\/h2>\n

British and French travel advice converges on the same conclusion. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office describes crime in Mauritius as dominated by non-violent offences: burglaries of tourist villas and theft of bags left unattended. It also notes that sexual assaults against tourists have been reported, which justifies the same night-time caution advised in any destination. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in its country page updated on 27 August 2026, places the entire country at its normal vigilance level and states that burglaries remain frequent in isolated homes.<\/p>\n

In practice, for a resident, the most likely scenario is not a violent encounter in the street but an intrusion into an empty or poorly protected house while you are away.<\/p>\n

Areas and times that call for more care<\/h2>\n

The UK government notes that petty crime is particularly widespread in the tourist areas of Port Louis, Grand Baie and Flic en Flac. Both official sources advise against walking alone at night in deserted places, on beaches after dark, and in the poorly lit streets of the Port Louis business district. None of this makes those areas off-limits for living or going out: it is basic caution, the same that applies in any tourist city.<\/p>\n

French official advice adds two simple habits: do not display conspicuous signs of wealth, and never leave bags or valuables visible in a parked vehicle, including in beach car parks.<\/p>\n

Protecting a home against burglary<\/h2>\n

This is where the choice of housing makes a genuine difference. A secure residence with permanent security staff, CCTV and controlled access mechanically reduces the risk compared with an isolated, unwatched villa \u2014 a point developed in our guide to secure residences in Mauritius<\/a>. It is also the norm in most new developments<\/a> sold under PDS status, designed with perimeter fencing and a gatehouse from construction onwards.<\/p>\n

For a standalone house, the measures that come up most often in consular advice and among residents are straightforward: grilles or bars on accessible openings, automatic outdoor lighting, an alarm connected to a security company, and not signalling a long absence on social media before you are back.<\/p>\n

Emergency numbers worth saving<\/h2>\n

The Mauritius Police Force publishes a list of direct contacts. Save them when you move in, rather than looking for them on the day you need them.<\/p>\n