Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Mauritius

One in every 10,470 babies in the world is born here: about 12,811 a year, 0.024 a minute.

Population: 1,243,741
Births a year: 12,811
Life expectancy: 73.9
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 15.4

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
77.4
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
70.4
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
13.8
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
15.4
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
66
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
≈ 1.5
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
18
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
6.9
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
12.2
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
2.3
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
1.44
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
≈ 30
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
95
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
91
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
46
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 31.9
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$28,770
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
37
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
0.5
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
5.6
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
5
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
47
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
45
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
39
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
100
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
100
World: 91
Internet users (%)
73
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
5.94
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.02
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 58.5 → 2026: 75.4 → 2050: 79.6

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 104 → 2026: 16 → 2050: 15

World

Children per woman

1960: 5.9 → 2026: 1.3 → 2050: 1.3

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 40 → 2026: 39 → 2050: 43

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Mauritius comes up about once in every 10,470 lives.

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.