Mauritius

Mauritius, an island republic in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, gained its independence from Britain in 1968 and has a population of 1.3 million. The female life expectancy is 76.7 years. It has a birth rate of 15.4 per 1,000, and the provision of midwifery services for most of the population has resulted in a decline in the infant mortality rate in recent decades, with the infant mortality rate at 14.6 per 1,000 live births. The maternal mortality rate is 24 per 100,000 live births and the neonatal mortality rate is 12 per 1,000 live births. The total fertility rate is 1.9 per woman, and 49 percent of women report using modern methods of contraception. Abortion is legal only to save the life of ...