[IMF] Mauritius Joins the Circle of 31 Countries Certified SDDS Plus
Mauritius has reached a significant milestone in its pursuit of economic transparency. On March 17, 2026, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam announced before the National Assembly the country's accession to SDDS Plus — the Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — the highest level of international standards for statistical data publication.
In practical terms, this certification requires Mauritius to publish more data, faster, and according to strict standards of quality and integrity, particularly in the areas of public finances, the financial system, and the country’s external exposures.
Only 31 countries worldwide meet this standard, mainly OECD member nations or high-income countries. Consequently, Mauritius becomes the first and only African country to achieve this level of certification.
The journey towards this standard has spanned several decades. The country joined the GDDS (General Data Dissemination System) in September 2000, then progressed to the SDDS in February 2012. As early as 2013, a technical assistance mission from the IMF had identified the necessary steps to aim for SDDS Plus. However, the process stalled for ten years. It was not until 2025 that the Prime Minister revived the initiative by establishing a steering committee directly affiliated with his office.
Beyond the symbolism, Mauritian authorities highlight tangible benefits: strengthening the international credibility of the financial center, enhancing investor confidence, and improving ratings agencies' perceptions — Moody’s is expected to view this as a positive signal for the country's sovereign rating — along with easier access to capital markets at lower borrowing costs.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that such a standard would now make any attempts to manipulate official statistics very difficult, a direct reference to the pressures that may have been exerted on Statistics Mauritius and the Bank of Mauritius before November 2024, under the former MSM regime.
