Population:
1,348,242 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Nationality:
noun: Mauritian(s)
adjective: Mauritian

Ethnic groups:
Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Languages:
Creole 86.5%, Bhojpuri 5.3%, French 4.1%, two languages 1.4%, other 2.6% (includes English, the official language, which is spoken by less than 1% of the population), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Religions:
Hindu 48.5%, Roman Catholic 26.3%, Muslim 17.3%, other Christian 6.4%, other 0.6%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile:
Mauritius has transitioned from a country of high fertility and high mortality rates in the 1950s and mid-1960s to one with among the lowest population growth rates in the developing world today. After World War II, Mauritius’ population began to expand quickly due to increased fertility and a dramatic drop in mortality rates as a result of improved health care and the eradication of malaria. This period of heightened population growth – reaching about 3% a year – was followed by one of the world’s most rapid birth rate declines. The total fertility rate fell from 6.2 children per women in 1963 to 3.2 in 1972 – largely the result of improved educational attainment, especially among young women, accompanied by later marriage and the adoption of family planning methods. The family planning programs’ success was due to support from the government and eventually the traditionally pronatalist religious communities, which both recognized that controlling population growth was necessary because of Mauritius’ small size and limited resources. Mauritius’ fertility rate has consistently been below replacement level since the late 1990s, a rate that is substantially lower than nearby countries in southern Africa. With no indigenous population, Mauritius’ ethnic mix is a product of more than two centuries of European colonialism and continued international labor migration. Sugar production relied on slave labor mainly from Madagascar, Mozambique, and East Africa from the early 18th century until its abolition in 1835, when slaves were replaced with indentured Indians. Most of the influx of indentured labor – peaking between the late 1830s and early 1860 – settled permanently creating massive population growth of more than 7% a year and reshaping the island’s social and cultural composition. While Indians represented about 12% of Mauritius’ population in 1837, they and their descendants accounted for roughly two-thirds by the end of the 19th century. Most were Hindus, but the majority of the free Indian traders were Muslims. Mauritius again turned to overseas labor when its success in clothing and textile exports led to a labor shortage in the mid-1980s. Clothing manufacturers brought in contract workers (increasingly women) from China, India, and, to a lesser extent Bangladesh and Madagascar, who worked longer hours for lower wages under poor conditions and were viewed as more productive than locals. Downturns in the sugar and textile industries in the mid-2000s and a lack of highly qualified domestic workers for Mauritius’ growing services sector led to the emigration of low-skilled workers and a reliance on skilled foreign labor. Since 2007, Mauritius has pursued a circular migration program to enable citizens to acquire new skills and savings abroad and then return home to start businesses and to invest in the country’s development.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.44% (male 140,808/female 134,826)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 15.06% (male 102,593/female 100,465)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 43.87% (male 295,794/female 295,719)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 11.37% (male 72,733/female 80,621)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 9.25% (male 50,888/female 73,795) (2016 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 40.6%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 27.2%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 13.4%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 7.4% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 34.8 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 33.9 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 35.8 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 77

Population growth rate:
0.61% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
13.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 39.7% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: -0.08% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
PORT LOUIS (capital) 135,000 (2014)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:
53 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 10 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 136

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.6 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 72.2 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 79.2 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 100

Total fertility rate:
1.75 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
4.8% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 145
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
1.62 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
3.4 beds/1,000 population (2011)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 99.9% of population rural: 99.8% of population total: 99.9% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population rural: 0.2% of population total: 0.1% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 93.9% of population rural: 92.6% of population total: 93.1% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 6.1% of population rural: 7.4% of population total: 6.9% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.88% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,200 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
400 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
18.8% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 105
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
5% of GDP (2015)
country comparison to the world: 123
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.6%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 92.9%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 88.5% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 15 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 16 years (2014)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 25.1%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 20.1%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 32.6% (2014 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 41