Mauritius

THE ISLAND OF Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, has grown from a low-income agricultural country to a middle-income nation with a diversified economy. The per capita annual income of $4,900 is one of the highest in Africa. Independent since 1968, Mauritius is a stable democracy that provides an environment conducive to foreign investment. While much of its income is derived from industry, finance, and tourism, the Mauritian economy is still tied to the sugar industry, and growth has declined somewhat in recent years in response to declining sugar prices and poor weather. The majority of Mauritians experience a comfortable standard of living, and income is relatively equally distributed; however, approximately 10 percent of the population live in poverty and five percent are malnourished.

Mauritius's population of 1,230,602 experiences a life expectancy of 72.38 years and a median age of 30.5 years. Almost one-fourth of the population is under the age of 14, and 6.5 percent are over the age of 65. Mauritians have a 4.6 percent chance of dying before the age of 40.

High educational levels and literacy rates, combined with quality of healthcare, have allowed Mauritius to virtually escape the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has swept much of Africa. In 2001, 700 people were living with the disease and fewer than 100 had died of the disease or its complications. Malaria and polio have been eradicated in Mauritius, and high quality of life protects Mauritians from the infectious diseases that are common in other African nations. The entire population has access to safe water and improved sanitation, and virtually everyone has access to affordable lifesaving drugs.

The Mauritian infant mortality rate is remarkably high when compared to its African neighbors. In 2005, out of 1,000 live births, this rate was estimated at 12.27 for females and 17.74 for males, with an overall rate of 15.03 deaths. Two years earlier, the mortality rate was 16 per 1,000 for infants and 18 per 1,000 for children under five.

About 13 percent of all Mauritian babies experience low birth weight, and 15 percent of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. Averages for the period 1995 to 2003 reveal that only two percent of Mauritian children under 5 were severely underweight, 14 percent suffered from wasting, and 10 percent of children experienced stunting.

[Page 693]Careful attention to childhood immunization rates has resulted in healthier children. Between 1999 and 2003, the number of infant immunizations against measles rose from 80 percent to 94 percent. Infant immunizations were reported at 88 percent against polio and DPT and 87 percent against tuberculosis. In 2003, 94 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 23 months were immunized against measles and 92 percent were immunized against DPT3.

The low fertility rate of 1.96 children per woman in 2005 is further evidence of a comparably high standard of living for Mauritians, as is the adolescent fertility rate of 39 per 1,000 births. Approximately 26 percent of Mauritian women use contraception of some sort. In 2000, maternal mortality was estimated at 24 deaths per 100,000 live births.

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