Mauritius has a liberal economic and trade policy and is a member of the WTO, as well as many other regional economic groups namely COMESA, SADC, IOC. Mauritius aims to transform the island into an open and globally competitive economy and to fully integrate it into the world trade system through its trade policies. Comparatively, customs duties are low and the island does not have any trade barriers. The country's main trade partners are the European Union led by France and the United Kingdom, China, India, South Africa and the United States.

Mauritius exports clothing, textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses and fish and radio transmission equipment. Sugarcane occupies 90% of the country's cultivated land and represents 15% of its exports. The export of services has been on the rise. As far as services are concerned, the country has a positive trade balance.

Based on recent past trends and information from various sources, Statistics Mauritius has forecasted total exports for 2018 at around Rs 82 billion and imports at Rs 190 billion.