Sugar dominates Mauritius' agricultural economy: raw and processed sugar accounts for one-quarter of the island's export earnings. Tobacco and tea are the other main cash crops. Since independence in 1968, the Government has deliberately sought to develop the industrial and service components of the economy. The island's industrial capability is based on a number of Export Processing Zones, under which goods are produced exclusively for export from raw materials imported on favorable terms. Clothing, textiles, consumer and industrial electronics are the main products from this sector.

Mauritius service economy is based on tourism and financial services: tourism is well established and now worth over US$500 million annually. The growth of financial services arose from a government initiative implemented in the late 1980s; as a result, the island has since attracted more than US$1 billion of investment, mainly from South Africa and the Indian sub-continent. The island's largest trading partners are France, the USA, Hong Kong, the UK and South Africa. Mauritius is a member of the Indian Ocean Commission, which promotes regional economic co-operation, and of the Southern African Development Community.