Demographics of Mauritius


Mauritian society contains several ethnic groups. The majority of the residents of Mauritius are descendants of people from Indian Subcontinents, also Africans and with 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 Continental island of Madagascar. As of 2023, Mauritius had the highest population density in Africa Continent.:.

Population

According to, the total population was in, compared to 479,000 in 1950.
The proportion of the population aged under 15 was 21.9% in 2010. 71.2% were between 15 and 65 years of age, with 6.9% being 65 years or older.

2022 Census

Mauritius has a population of 1,235,260, according to the 2022 Census. The population on the island of Mauritius was 1,191,280 ; Rodrigues island was 43,650 ; and Agaléga island was 330.
The average age of the population was 38 years; the proportion of children aged under 15 years decreased from 20.7% to 15.4% ; and the number of adults aged 60 years and over increased from 12.7% to 18.7%.

Structure of the population

UN estimates

2012 estimates

Population Estimates by sex and age group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total621 297634 5851,255,882100
0–438 37937 77276 1516.06
5–946 80245 13091 9327.32
10–1449 92648 04497 9707.80
15–1950 15849 996100 1547.97
20–2448 74747 37496 1217.65
25–2943 79443 39287 1866.94
30–3452 32551 550103 8758.27
35–3945 44744 44889 8957.16
40–4443 96143 15087 1116.94
45–4949 13448 57097 7047.78
50–5443 71844 51488 2327.03
55–5937 17438 62575 7996.04
60–6428 92931 94660 8754.85
65–6916 98620 84237 8283.01
70–7411 09914 47125 5702.04
75–797 76111 31119 0721.52
80–844 0777 03311 1100.88
85+2 8806 4179 2970.74
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–14135 107130 946266 05321.18
15–64443 387443 565886 95270.62
65+42 80360 074102 8778.19

Census 2019

Population by sex and age group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total610 848625 9691,236,817100
0–436 70236 37673 0785.91
5–944 94744 06889 0157.20
10–1447 30246 33793 6397.57
15–1950 71550 293101 0088.17
20–2446 87145 80092 6717.49
25–2945 58945 34890 9377.35
30–3452 18251 247103 4298.36
35–3944 24143 55687 7977.10
40–4445 15044 23689 3867.23
45–4949 80049 54199 3418.03
50–5442 99643 34186 3376.98
55–5935 71337 34173 0545.91
60–6427 14330 19957 3424.64
65–6915 84619 59335 4392.87
70–7410 98614 38925 3752.05
75–797 34910 69518 0441.46
80–844 1767 19311 3690.92
85–892 1354 2336 3680.51
90–945121 4701 9820.16
95–991073844910.04
100+1383960.01
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–14128 951126 781255 73220.68
15–64440 400440 902881 30271.26
65+41 12458 04099 1648.02
unknown3732466190.05

Vital statistics

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 and United Nations Demographic Yearbook.

Current vital statistics

PeriodLive birthsDeathsNatural change
202312,87211,839+1033
202412,85312,507+346
Difference -19 +668 -687

Life expectancy

Ethnic groups

are roughly fifty percent of the population. The Indo-Mauritian population consists of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian descendants of Indian laborers.
Mauritian Creoles 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. 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.
Sino-Mauritians from the Hakka and other Chinese sub-ethnic/linguistic groups make up around three percent of Mauritian society.
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, the construction industry, and harbor-related activities.

Language

The main languages spoken in Mauritius are Mauritian Creole, English, French, and Bhojpuri. 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. 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. It was developed in the 18th century by enslaved Africans who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other and with French enslavers and colonizers. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual and main language.
Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole.

Religion

More than 90% of the Sino-Mauritian community are Christian; the remainder are largely Buddhist.

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: