There is a growing need for data to guide decision-making. Mauritius is a country of both origin and destination for international migration. However, there is inadequate data to elaborate migration policies that can contribute to socioeconomic development. The limited availability of reliable, disaggregated and comparable data for the design, development and evaluation of migration policies affects efforts to provide services for different groups of people. 

To address these challenges, IOM, in coordination with stakeholders in the Government of Mauritius, initiated the assessment of national migration data to inform more evidence-based management strategies and policies. The assessment was conducted using a combination of methods, including a desk review of the literature, open-ended questionnaires, key informant interviews, stakeholder consultations and a workshop. 

The migration data assessment exercise points to good practices in Mauritius that can be replicated in other countries. These include: (a) having sufficient questions in the census questionnaire; (b) dedicating a whole monograph to the analysis of migration issues from the 2011 census; and (c) establishing two information desks in 2017 and 2018 to provide information about the various services available in Mauritius to migrants from Rodrigues Island. 

The assessment shows that there is a wealth of data collected and stored in Mauritius. However, some problems were identified with respect to data dissemination, as well as data harmonization, including the lack of a harmonization mechanism. Major gaps include the frequency of the national census, which is currently conducted every 10 years, and the paucity of detailed statistics on Mauritians living abroad and their contributions to national development.