People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Mauritian(s).
Population (2005): 1,248,592, including Rodrigues, Agalega, and St. Brandon.
Avg. annual population growth (2005): 0.9%. Density--612/sq. km.
Ethnic groups: Indo-Mauritians 68%, Creoles 27%, Sino-Mauritians 3%, Franco-Mauritians 2%.
Religions: Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim.
Languages: Creole (common), French, English (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri.
Education: Years compulsory--11 (primary school). Attendance (primary school)--virtually universal. Literacy--adult population 85%; school population 90%.
Health (2005): Infant mortality rate--14.8/1000. Life expectancy--male 68.6 yrs., female 75.5 yrs.
Work force (2005, 543,900): Manufacturing--19.8%; construction--9.7%; trade and tourism--22.3%; government services--16.6%; agriculture and fishing--9.6%; other--31.7%.