Languages spoken in Mauritius
Africa · Capital: Port Louis · Population 1.3 million
In Mauritius, two languages have official status: French and English. Morisyen is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 90% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.2 million people. Morisyen itself holds no official status in Mauritius, despite being the most widely spoken. After Morisyen, the most widely spoken are French at 73% and English at 72%. In total, six languages are recorded in Mauritius, and their shares add up to 251.3% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.5 of them.
What languages are spoken in Mauritius?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morisyen | 90% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 73% | Official | 956,665 |
| EnglishIndo-European | 72% | Official | 943,560 |
| BhojpuriIndo-European | 8.6% | Spoken | 112,703 |
| UrduIndo-European | 5.2% | Spoken | 68,146 |
| TamilDravidian | 2.5% | Spoken | 32,763 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Mauritius?
In Mauritius, two languages have official status: French and English. French is spoken by an estimated 73% of the population, or roughly 956,665 people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Morisyen is, at 90%.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Morisyen in Mauritius?
An estimated 90% of Mauritius's 1.3 million people speak Morisyen, which works out at roughly 1.2 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Mauritius
- Capital
- Port Louis
- Population
- 1.3 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 2,040 km²
- Currency
- MUR
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- MU / MUS / 480
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Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.