Who Mauritians are: communities and languages

A population that came from elsewhere

Mauritius had no inhabitants before Europeans arrived. Every Mauritian therefore descends from people who came over the last four centuries, willingly or by force. According to the 2022 census, the Republic has 1,235,260 residents. This diversity is one of the first things visitors notice: Hindu temples, churches, mosques and pagodas sometimes stand on the same street.

African and Malagasy roots

The first permanent residents were, alongside the settlers, the enslaved people brought by the Dutch and above all by the French. Estimates cited by UNESCO suggest about half came from Madagascar and about 40% from East Africa, notably Mozambique, with a minority from West Africa and India. Their descendants make up a large part of the Creole population. Sega, the music and dance born in this context, has been on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2014.

Europeans

French settlers arrived from 1721-1722 and formed the landowning elite of Isle de France. After 1810 the British took political power, but few settled for good; planter society remained largely French-speaking. The descendants of French settlers, often called Franco-Mauritians, are today a small minority, estimated by Minority Rights Group at about 2% of the population.

Indians, the majority

After slavery was abolished, almost half a million indentured workers arrived between 1834 and 1920, mainly from India. They came from different regions and spoke different languages. According to Minority Rights Group, nearly 70% of Mauritians are now of Indian origin, Hindu or Muslim.

Sino-Mauritians

Chinese migrants, some under indenture and later as traders, also settled. Their community, about 3% of the population according to Minority Rights Group, has left a deep mark on Mauritian food. Port Louis's Chinatown and the Spring Festival bear witness to this.

Religions

According to Minority Rights Group, about half of Mauritians are Hindu, nearly a third Christian (mostly Catholic) and about 17% Muslim. Each community's major festivals punctuate the calendar, and many are public holidays.

Languages: Creole every day

The everyday language is Kreol Morisien. According to the 2022 census results, 90% of residents say they speak only Creole at home, against 5.1% only Bhojpuri and 4.4% only French. Kreol Morisien is also offered as an optional language in primary school.

English is the language of administration, Parliament and education, even though few Mauritians speak it at home. French dominates the press, the media and much of public life. Bhojpuri, from northern India, is still alive, notably through Geet-Gawai songs, inscribed by UNESCO in 2016. Other ancestral languages, Indian or Chinese, are taught and used within communities.

Practical tip

A "bonzour" or "mersi" in Creole is always appreciated. French and English will get you understood almost everywhere.