Demographics of Mauritius
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Mauritius, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Mauritian society includes people from many different ethnic groups as well as a significant population of mixed race people who have ancestry from more than one ethnic group. A majority of the republic's residents are the descendants or part descendants of people from India. Mauritius also contains substantial populations from continental Africa, China, France, Great Britain, and the East African island nation of Madagascar . Ethnic groups. Indo-Mauritians make up approximately sixty-six percent of the population. The Indo-Mauritian population consists of Hindu and Muslim and Christian descendants of Indian labourers. Mauritian Creoles (descendants of Africans) make up twenty-eight percent of the population. Nowadays, a significant proportion of Creoles are of African descent with varying amounts of French and Indian ancestry. The creole community also includes the Countries ‘Metisse’ or mixed race communities which consist of people with any admixture of the islands other groups. Rodriguais and Chagossians are usually incorporated within the Creole ethnic group. Franco-Mauritians (Mauritians of French ancestry ) form around two percent of the population. They are descendants of French settlers, comprising the largest group of European origin. There is a smaller population of British descent, most of whom have been absorbed within the Franco-Mauritian community. There is also a considerable number of white foreign expatriates living in Mauritius, about 8000 from France and 2000 from South Africa. Along with the French European community, there is a small number of British expatriates or people of British descent in 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 in four ethnic groups – Hindus, Muslims, Chinese and General Population – the general population includes all who do not practice the Hindu or Muslim religion, or are not Chinese by ethnicity. Hence the general population is the Christian community, which includes Creoles, mixed people, white people, and those who have converted to Christianity. The exception is that the general population does not include the Christian Chinese, although most practice a mix of Christianity and traditional Chinese religions. 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 harbour-related activities (primarily Taiwanese men). Immigration policy does not provoke much debate in Mauritius, and the relative economic stability of the island serves to attract foreign workers. 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. Structure of the population. Structure of the population  (01.07.2012) (Estimates based on the results of the 2011 Population Census) : Structure of the population (04.07.2019) (Census, complete tabulation): Vital statistics. Mauritius has an estimated population of 1,283,415 on December 31, 2010. 14,701 children were born in 2011 (birth rate 11.4 per 1,000). The table below presents the population development of Mauritius since 1900. The figure up to 1945 are for the island of Mauritius only. As of 1946 the island of Rodrigues is included. Figures from Statistics Mauritius and United Nations Demographic Yearbook. Language. The main languages spoken in Mauritius are English, French, Mauritian Creole, and Bhojpuri. There is  no official language. English is the official 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 displays English, Tamil and Bhojpuri languages. 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 African slaves who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other as well as with their French masters, who did  not understand the various African languages. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual language. Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole. Religion. In 2015, the population was estimated to be 48.5% Hindu, 27.2% Roman Catholic, 17.5% Muslim, 3.9% No religion and unspecifed, 2.5% Protestantism, 0.4% Other religions. 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: Other demographic statistics. Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review  in 2019. The following demographics are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated. "noun:" Mauritian(s) "adjective:" Mauritian Mauritians of Indian Origin 65.8%, Mauritians of African Origin 27.7%, Mauritians of Chinese Origin 3%, Mauritians of French Origin 2% Hinduism 48.5%, Christianity 32.7%, Islam 17.3%, None 0.7%, Other 0.6, Unspecified 0.1% As mother tongue: Mauritian Creole 86.8%, Bhojpuri 5%, French 4.1%, Two languages 1.4%, Other 2.6%, Unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.) As ancestral languages: Hindi 33.5%, Urdu 17.3%, Tamil 6%, Chinese 3%, Telegu 2%, Marathi 2% "at birth 1 male(s)/female "under 15 years:" 1.03 male(s)/female "15–64 years:" 0.99 male(s)/female "65 years and  over:" 0.67 male(s)/female "total population:" 0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.) definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.)