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Demographics of Mauritius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mauritian society contains several ethnic groups. The majority of the residents of Mauritius are descendants of people from India, also Africans(mainly descendants of Malagasy and Mozambique) and Chinese. Mauritius also contains descendants of colonial France and Britain, as well as mixed race Mauritians(mainly of French/Indian or a mixture of French/African/Chinese/Indian. Mauritius also comprises migrants from continental Africa, Asia, France, South Africa and the East African island of Madagascar. As of 2023, Mauritius had the highest population density in Africa.
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Population
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Perspective
According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[1][2], the total population was 1,298,915 in 2021, compared to 479,000 in 1950.[3]
The proportion of the population aged under 15 was 21.9% in 2010.[3] 71.2% were between 15 and 65 years of age, with 6.9% being 65 years or older.[3]
2022 Census
Mauritius has a population of 1,235,260 (608,090 males, 627,170 females), according to the 2022 Census.[4] The population on the island of Mauritius was 1,191,280 (586,590 males and 604,690 females);[5] Rodrigues island was 43,650 (21,330 males and 22,320 females); and Agaléga island was 330 (170 males and 160 females).[6][7][8]
The average age of the population was 38 years;[9][10][11] the proportion of children aged under 15 years decreased from 20.7% (in 2011) to 15.4% (in 2022); and the number of adults aged 60 years and over increased from 12.7% (2011) to 18.7% (2022).[12]
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Structure of the population
UN estimates
2012 estimates
Population Estimates by sex and age group (01.VII.2012) (Based on the results of the 2011 Population Census.) :
Census 2019
Population by sex and age group (Census 04.VII.2019) (Excludes the islands of St. Brandon and Agalega.):[13]
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Vital statistics
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The table below presents the population development of Mauritius since 1900. The figures up to 1945 are for the island of Mauritius only. As of 1946, the island of Rodrigues is included.
Figures are from Statistics Mauritius[14] and United Nations Demographic Yearbook.[15]
Current vital statistics
Life expectancy
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Ethnic groups
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Indo-Mauritians are roughly forty-six percent of the population. The Indo-Mauritian population consists of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian descendants of Indian laborers.
Mauritian Creoles (descendants of Africans) are thirty-eight percent of the population. Today, a significant proportion of Creoles are of African descent, with varying amounts of French and Indian ancestry. The Creole community also includes the country's ‘Metisse,’ or mixed-race communities, which consist of people with any admixture of the island's other groups.[18] Rodrigues and Chagossians are usually incorporated within the Creole ethnic group.
Along with the French European community, British expatriates or people of British descent make up roughly three percent of the population of Mauritius.[19][20]
Sino-Mauritians from the Hakka and other Chinese sub-ethnic/linguistic groups make up around three percent of Mauritian society.[21]
While the government officially groups Mauritians into four ethnic groups – Hindus, Muslims, Chinese, and General Population – the general population includes all who do not practice Hinduism or Islam and are not Chinese by ethnicity. The general population is the Christian community, which includes Creoles, mixed-race people, white people, and those who have converted to Christianity.
Small groups of foreign students from Europe or the Indian Ocean region are also present. Recent years have seen a steady flow of foreign workers into the textile industry (primarily Chinese women), the construction industry (primarily Indian workers), and harbor-related activities (primarily Taiwanese men).
Language
The main languages spoken in Mauritius are Mauritian Creole, English, French, and Bhojpuri.[22] English is the official administrative language of the parliament, though French is also permitted. However, the lingua franca is Mauritian Creole, and the newspapers and television programs are usually in French.[23] The Mauritian currency features the Latin, Tamil and Devanagari scripts.
Mauritian Creole, which is spoken by 90 percent of the population, is considered to be the native language of the country and is used most often in informal settings.[22] It was developed in the 18th century by African slaves who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other and with their French masters, who did not understand the various African languages. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual and main language.[24]
Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole.
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Religion
In 2015, the population was estimated to be 48.5% Hindu, 27.2% Roman Catholic, 17.5% Muslim, 3.9% No religion and unspecified, 2.5% Protestantism, and 0.4% Other religions.[25]
More than 90% of the Sino-Mauritian community are Christian; the remainder are largely Buddhist.[21]
Migrants
According to the United Nations, there were 28,713 international migrants in Mauritius in 2017.
Their most common countries of origin were as follows:
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References
Further reading
External links
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