Mauritius BRP Recipients Drop by 800+ in August 2026

The number of people receiving the Basic Retirement Pension (BRP) in Mauritius has fallen by more than 800 compared to previous months, according to the latest figures from Statistics Mauritius for August 2026. A total of 273,021 people are currently enrolled in the BRP — 266,977 on the main island of Mauritius and 6,044 on Rodrigues, the semi-autonomous island to the northeast. **Who are the recipients?** The data breaks down the beneficiary population by age group: - **267,686** recipients are aged between 60 and 89 - **5,093** are aged between 90 and 99 - **242** are aged 100 or older Separately, **173,246 people** in Mauritius receive a contributory pension — a retirement benefit tied to their history of contributions to the National Pension Fund (NPF), unlike the BRP which is a universal, non-contributory payment funded by the state. **What is the Basic Retirement Pension?** The BRP is a universal pension paid by the Mauritian government to all eligible residents upon reaching retirement age, regardless of their employment history or savings. It is one of the country's key social protection mechanisms and is administered by the Ministry of Social Integration and Social Security. **The pension age reform — what's changed?** These figures come in the context of a significant and controversial policy shift: the government has raised the official retirement age from 60 to 65. This reform means that new applicants must now wait longer before becoming eligible for the BRP, which is widely seen as contributing to the decline in the total number of beneficiaries. The drop of over 800 recipients signals that fewer new claimants are entering the system than people leaving it — whether through the age threshold change or natural attrition. **What this means** For Mauritians approaching retirement age, the raised threshold has real financial consequences. Those aged 60 to 64 who would previously have qualified for the BRP must now find alternative income sources for up to five additional years before receiving state support. The reform has drawn criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups who argue that the change disproportionately affects lower-income workers in physically demanding jobs who may struggle to remain employed into their mid-60s. The opposition has called for the policy to be put to a broader public consultation. For policymakers, the falling beneficiary count may ease short-term pressure on the social security budget — but the long-term demographic picture, with a growing elderly population, continues to pose fiscal challenges. Statistics Mauritius publishes monthly updates on pension data, making it possible to track how the reform is reshaping the beneficiary landscape in real time. Source: ION News