World Factbook
Mauritius
Republic of Mauritius
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
96.3% (2023 est.)
female
92.8% (2023 est.)
total population
94.3% (2023 est.)
Languages
Creole 86.5%, Bhojpuri 5.3%, French 4.1%, two languages 1.4%, other 2.6% (includes English, one of the two official languages of the National Assembly, 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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.99 male(s)/female
total population
0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.71 male(s)/female
Birth rate
9.73 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
9.14 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
38.1 years
total
40 years (2025 est.)
female
41 years
Population
male
639,707
total
1,311,375 (2025 est.)
female
671,668
Nationality
noun
Mauritian(s)
adjective
Mauritian
Tobacco use
male
37.4% (2025 est.)
total
19.6% (2025 est.)
female
2.6% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
40.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
15.1% (male 100,973/female 96,711)
15-64 years
71% (male 462,833/female 467,509)
65 years and over
13.9% (2024 est.) (male 75,464/female 107,014)
Ethnic groups
Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population), Creole, Sino-Mauritian, Franco-Mauritian
note: Mauritius has not had a question on ethnicity on its national census since 1972
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
41.7 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
21.1 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
4.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
20.5 (2025 est.)
Physician density
1.44 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
6.4% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
9.4% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
3.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.36 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
4.1% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
14.2% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
13.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total
11.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
10 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.06% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.66 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population density is one of the highest in the world; urban clusters are found throughout the main island, with a greater density in and around Port Luis; the population on Rodrigues Island is fairly evenly spread, with a slightly denser cluster on the north coast, as shown in this population distribution map
Life expectancy at birth
male
72.6 years
female
78.4 years
total population
75.4 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
66 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban
urban: 99.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0.3% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
1.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
3.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
149,000 PORT LOUIS (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
10.8% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
51.6% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
14 years (2020 est.)
total
14 years (2020 est.)
female
15 years (2020 est.)