Abstract

The 2011 Mauritius Housing & Population Census will be carried out by the Central Statistics Office in two distinct rounds: the Housing Census from 31 January 2011 to June 2011 followed by the Population Census from 20 June to 31 July 2011 in respect of all persons alive on the night of 3 - 4 July 2011. The main objective of the Housing and Population census is to provide up-to-date and disaggregated data on the housing conditions, the spatial distribution, and the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the Mauritian population.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household;
• Indivudual.

Universe

The Housing Census will enumerate all buildings, housing units, households, commercial and industrial establishments, hotels and boarding houses as well as fruit trees of bearing age on residential premises.

The Population Census will enumerate all persons present on census night in all households and communal establishments, as well as usual residents who are away on census night.

Housing and population enumerations will be conducted in the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agalega.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

Census 2011, like the four previous ones, was taken in two distinct rounds: the Housing Census followed by the Population Census four months later. This enumeration procedure was adopted in order to obtain at the Housing Census a list of names and addresses of heads of households which served as frame for the Population Census.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

4.1 Questionnaire design The questionnaire type, format and contents were determined on the basis of the following factors:

Data to be collected Data collected were in line with UN recommendations and, in addition, catered for local data needs.

Method of enumeration For Census 2011, the questionnaires were completed by enumerators who carried out field interviews.

Data capture and processing techniques The office used scanning and recognition technology for census data capture directly from the questionnaires.

4.2 Contents of questionnaire The questionnaire contents were determined as follows: (i) The data needs of main stakeholders from Government Ministries and Departments were considered. As from 2008, heads of Government Ministries and Departments were invited via a circular letter to submit their requirements for demographic, social and economic data considered essential for administration, planning and policy-making and which could be collected at the census. Topics were retained after considering: - their usefulness to the country; - the cost for data collection and processing - where it is possible by other means to obtain satisfactory information more cheaply, the topic was not selected; and - their suitability for data collection at a Census - sensitive and controversial issues as well as questions that are too complicated or difficult for the average respondent to answer were avoided. (ii) The concepts and questions used for the previous census were examined for relevance and only those found relevant were kept. (iii) The latest “Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses” were reviewed to determine whether to add questions or to modify existing questions. (iv) The questions thus arrived at were tested during a pilot census conducted in September 2010. In the light of observations made on the field, some changes were made to the wording and sequence of the questions and a final set of questions adopted. 4.2.1 The Housing Census questionnaire The Housing Census questionnaire covered all topics and items covered at Census 2000; some new items were added for the reasons given in the column “Remarks”.

The questionnaire was designed to cover 1 housing unit, up to two households, up to three planters and 1 commercial/industrial establishment, guest house or tourist residence. More than one questionnaire was used in other cases.

4.2.2 The Population Census questionnaire The 2011 Population Census questionnaire included the topics covered at the 2000 Population Census except that on income. Questions were added on National Identity number of each person as well as on residence for the reasons mentioned in the column “Remarks”.

4.3 Questionnaire layout and size The layout and design of response areas was done to ensure optimum conditions for data capture through scanning and recognition technology. The layout was also influenced by the cost (the number of pages had to be kept to a minimum to cut down on paper, printing and scanning costs) while at the same time ensuring ease of recording the answers on the field.

Cleaning operations

The quality of information collected depends not only on the training of field workers, but also on the day-to-day control and supervision of the fieldwork. Supervisors had to accompany each of their Enumerators in the first visits to ensure that interviews were done according to instructions given and that all concepts were clearly understood. Surprise and pre-arranged field checks as well as re-interviews also helped to increase the reliability of the information collected. Furthermore, Supervisors had to check all completed questionnaires at the early stage of enumeration and later a sample of the completed questionnaires to ensure that the quality of work was satisfactory. Meetings were held regularly to take stock of the field situation and to solve problems met on the field.

All supervisory staff had to record their field activities in provided diaries. The day-today record outlined the activities carried out, the dates and the places at which the activities were carried out, problems encountered and remedial actions taken. The day-to-day recording of activities allowed supervisory staff to follow the progress of work and to assess the performance of each and every staff working under their supervision. Furthermore, it ensured that supervisory control prevailed all along the fieldwork.

Abstract

A census gives a complete and comprehensive picture of the nation as well as groups of people living in specific areas. In what type of buildings and housing units are we living? What are the amenities and facilities that are available therein? How many rooms are there and what is the extent of overcrowding? How many people live in a given town or locality? How many children are there? How many women are there? How many are old enough to vote? What kind of jobs are we doing? What is our level of education? Do we have the required qualifications or skills to satisfy the needs of the labour market? The census helps to answer these questions and many others.

It provides up-to-date and disaggregated data on the housing conditions, the spatial distribution, and the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. These data are essential for assessing the country's demographic, social and economic performance and for developing sound policies and programmes aimed at fostering the welfare of the country and its population.

Census data are also useful to business, industrial and commercial organisations to estimate and forecast demand for their products and services, and to assess the supply of manpower with the relevant skills to run their activities.

Furthermore, census data are used in the derivation of many important and meaningful social indicators that are needed by local and international organizations. Thus, many social indicators, as defined in the set of indicators recommended by the United Nations Statistics Division, can only be worked out from census data.

Legal framework Census 2000 was conducted according to provisions of the Statistics Act of 7 April 1951. The underlying procedures are given in Sections 5, 6 and 13 of the Act. In March 1998, the Cabinet agreed to the conduct of a housing and population census in year 2000. In June 1999, it gave its approval to the census dates and to the topics to be investigated. The regulations for the Housing Census, prescribing the particulars and information to be collected, were subsequently prepared and approved by the President in November 1999. The regulations were published as Government Notice 170 of 1999. In December 1999, the President made an order to the effect that a census of the population be taken between 19 June and 16 July 2000 in respect of all persons alive at midnight on 2 July 2000. The Order was gazetted in December 1999. The regulations for the Population Census, prescribing the particulars and information to be collected were approved by the President in April 2000 and published as Government Notice 57 of 2000.

Geographic coverage

Housing and population enumerations were conducted on the Islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agalega. As regards St Brandon islands, only a count of persons spending census night on the islands was made, these islands being fishing stations with no resident population.

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Housing unit

Universe

The Housing Census enumerated all buildings, housing units, households, commercial and industrial establishments, hotels and boarding houses as well as fruit trees of bearing age on residential premises.

The Population Census enumerated all persons present on census night in all households and communal establishments, as well as usual residents who were away on census night.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Mode of data collection

Self administered and face to face

Research instrument

Questionnaire Design Consultation with stakeholders from Government Ministries and Departments started in 1998. Heads of Government Ministries and Departments were invited via a circular letter to submit a list of demographic, social and economic data they considered essential for administration, planning and policy-making and which could be collected at the census. The proposals received were discussed at various levels. In the light of these discussions and taking into account recommendations of the United Nations Statistics Division on subject matters that can be investigated at a census, final selection of topics was made at a meeting with subject matter specialists from our parent Ministry.

The main considerations in the final selection of topics were: - the importance of the topics to the country - the cost for collecting and processing data on a given item - where it was possible by other means to obtain satisfactory information more cheaply, the topic was not selected - the suitability of topics - sensitive and controversial issues as well as questions that were too complicated or difficult for the average respondent to answer were avoided - whether the census was the appropriate method for data collection - topics that required detailed investigation or highly qualified staff were not included since they would be best canvassed by sample surveys.

Housing Census Questionnaire All topics investigated at the 1990 Census were included in the 2000 Housing Census questionnaire. Three new items were however added. These were: “Availability of domestic water tank/reservoir”, “Principal fuel used in bathroom” and “Fruit trees on premises”.

The housing census questionnaire was divided into seven parts. A list of topics and items included in the questionnaire is given below: Part I - Location Part II - Type of Building Part III - Characteristics of buildings - Storeys above ground floor
- Year of completion
- Principal material of construction used for roof and walls
Part IV - Characteristics of housing units - Ownership
- Occupancy
- Water supply
- Domestic water tank/reservoir - Availability of electricity
- Toilet facilities
- Bathing facilities
- Availability of kitchen - Refuse disposal Part V - Characteristics of households - Household type - Name and address of head of household - Number of persons by sex - Tenure - Number of rooms for living purposes - Number of rooms for business or profession - Monthly rent - Principal fuel used for cooking - Principal fuel used in bathroom Part VI - Commercial and industrial establishments, hotels and boarding houses - Name and address of establishment or working proprietor/manager - Main activity in which the establishment is engaged - Number of persons engaged at the time of enumeration Part VII - Fruit-trees on premises - Number of fruit trees of bearing age by type

Population Census Questionnaire The 2000 Population Census questionnaire covered most of the topics investigated at the 1990 Population Census. A question on income was added while the questions on education were reviewed to include qualifications, other than those of the primary and secondary levels, of the respondent. The topic, main activity status of person during the year, which was investigated at the previous census was not included.

Topics and items included in the population census questionnaire are given below: (i) Location (ii) Names of persons These information were asked only to ensure that all members of the household were enumerated. Also, the listing of names of each person facilitated the checking for accuracy and completeness of each entry at the time of enumeration and later, if errors or missing information still persisted on the form. It should be pointed out that names were not captured at the data entry stage, so that data collected could not be identified with any individual person, in line with the requirements of the Statistics Act. (iii) Demographic and social characteristics - Relationship to head (only one head is allowed for each household) - Sex - Age - Date of birth (This question served as a verification to the age reported earlier) - Citizenship - Marital Status - Religion - Linguistic group - Language usually spoken (iv) Whether disabled or not - Type of disability, if disabled (v) Migration characteristics - Whereabouts on Census night - Usual address - Usual address five years ago (vi) Fertility - For persons not single: - Age at first marriage - Whether married more than once - Number of children ever born (for women only) (vii) Education characteristics - For persons 2 years and above: - Languages read and written - School attendance - Primary and secondary education (viii) Current economic characteristics (ix) Income

Census Guide and Instructions A census guide and instructions booklet was prepared and distributed to all heads of households. The booklet contained extensive explanations on how to fill in the census form and answered questions that people usually asked about censuses. Thus the objectives of the census, what happened to the census forms once the enumeration was over, the confidential aspect of collected information as well as the usefulness of each item were explained.

Printing of Census Questionnaires and Guides
The census questionnaires, and the census guide and instructions booklets were printed by the Government Printer. The numbers printed were as follows: (i) Housing Census questionnaires - 16,000 booklets of 25 questionnaires (ii) Population Census questionnaires - 375,000 (iii) Census guide and instructions booklets - 312,000

Cleaning operations

Recruitment and Training of Editors and Coders About 15 clerical officers who were previously engaged in the various units of the Office and 10 newly recruited statistical officers were called on to the editing and coding of the census forms while a request for the services of 50 additional clerical officers was made to the Ministry for Civil Service Affairs and Administrative Reform. Between March 2000 and May 2001, small groups of clerical officers from the ministry joined the

604.780 (persons) in 2017. Mid year Estimates

1.221.975 (persons) in 2017. Estimated resident population

Population, female of Island of Rodrigues went up by 0.90% from 21,498 persons in 2016 to 21,691 persons in 2017. Since the 1.14% improve in 2007, population, female jumped by 10.45% in 2017. Mid year Estimates

Abstract

The primary objective of the CMPHS is to obtain, on a regular basis, statistical information on the social and economic characteristics of the population of the Island of Mauritius and Island of Rodrigues. The data collected provide inputs for the development of socio-economic indicators describing the various aspects of socio-economic development and its impact on the population. They are essential for the formulation and monitoring of policy programs. From 2004 the CMPHS has also been used as the dedicated instrument for the direct measurement of labor force, employment and unemployment on a quarterly basis.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The survey covers all private households on the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

(i) Sampling frame The sampling frame used is a list of clusters or primary sampling units (PSUs) with their respective numbers of private households. The master sample of PSUs was drawn in 2005, based on the Relative Development Index (RDI) derived from the population census data. This index is used as the spatial stratification factor and is based on 12 variables encompassing housing and living conditions, literacy and education, and employment derived from the 2011 Housing and Population Census to rank PSUs. It will be updated at the next population census.

(ii) Sampling method The sampling method is a stratified two-stage sampling design. At the first stage, PSUs are selected from the PSU master sample with probability proportional to size. At the second stage of the sampling process, a fixed number of households (10) are selected by systematic sampling from each selected PSU with religion, household size and the average monthly expenditure of the household as stratification criteria.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The CMPHS questionnaire comprises three modules: a basic module common to all rounds of the survey covering the general characteristics of the population, one or more special topic modules dealing with subjects requiring in-depth investigation and a third module on other topics which can change every year. As the CMPHS is being used as the instrument for the measurement of labor force, employment and unemployment on a quarterly basis, a set of core questions on the labor force in Module III is kept constant at all rounds of the survey. it should be noted that questions on demographic & educational characteristics from Module I as well as household income & expenditure from Module III are also kept constant as far as possible.

Population total of Island of Rodrigues increased by 0.89% from 42,260 persons in 2016 to 42,638 persons in 2017. Since the 0.63% rise in 2007, population total surged by 14.27% in 2017. Estimated resident population

20.947 (persons) in 2017. Mid year Estimates

42.638 (persons) in 2017. Estimated resident population

Speciation with gene flow may be more common than generally thought making detailed understanding of the extent and pattern of genetic divergence between geographically isolated populations useful. Species of the Drosophila simulans complex provide a good model for speciation and evolutionary studies; understanding their population genetic structure will increase our understanding of the context in which speciation has occurred. Here we describe the genetic diversity and the genetic differentiation, at mitochondrial and nuclear loci, of two distant populations of D. mauritiana (Mauritius and Rodrigues Islands). We surveyed the two populations for their mitochondrial types, eight nuclear genes and 18 microsatellite loci. A new mitochondrial type is fixed in the Rodrigues population of D. mauritiana. The two populations are highly differentiated, their divergence appears relatively ancient (100,000 years) compared to the origin of the species, around 0.25 MYA, and they exhibit very limited gene flow. However, they have similar levels of divergence from their sibling, D. simulans. Both nuclear genes and microsatellites revealed contrasting demographic histories between the two populations; expansion for the Mauritius population and stable population size for the Rodrigues Island population. The pronounced geographic structure discovered within D. mauritiana in addition to the low amount of genetic exchange between those two island populations is significant for understanding how the genetic structuring of the species contributes to its evolutionary history, and clearly merits further attention in the broad context of speciation.

The Red-whiskered bulbul is a very successful invasive bird species. Morphological differences have been reported among individuals inhabiting the humid and dry coasts of Reunion Island, in a 30-year-old population. This suggests a capacity for rapid local adaptation which could explain the general invasive success of this species. However, the origin and invasion history of this population is unknown. It is therefore not possible to establish with certainty the cause of these morphological differences. Here, we investigated the invasion history of populations of Red-whiskered bulbul established on Reunion Island, Mauritius and Oahu (three geographically similar tropical islands) to assess the link between invasion history and morphological changes in these populations. We first assessed the source(s) of the invasive populations. We then compared the morphology of the individuals between the invasive and native populations and between the dry and humid coasts of invaded islands. Finally, we inferred the invasion history of the invasive populations to investigate the role of neutral processes (e.g. founder effect and drift) on morphology. We found that the invasive populations have a similar origin and that the morphology of the individuals in these populations has diverged in a similar way from the native range, suggesting a convergent adaptation to tropical islands. Like on Reunion, we found differences in morphology between the dry and humid coasts on Mauritius. These morphological differences can be explained by invasion history on Reunion but not on Mauritius. Both neutral evolution and adaptation thus shape the morphology of invasive Red-whiskered bulbuls.

Mauritius genotypesThis data file contains the microsatellite (STR) genotypes for 35 Pristionchus pacificus strains collected from Mauritius Island.

Abstract

The primary objective of the CMPHS is to obtain, on a regular basis, statistical information on the social and economic characteristics of the population of the Island of Mauritius and Island of Rodrigues.

The data collected provide inputs for the development of socio-economic indicators describing the various aspects of socio-economic development and its impact on the population. They are essential for the formulation and monitoring of policy programmes.

As from 2004, the CMPHS is being used as the dedicated instrument for the direct measurement of labour force, employment and unemployment on a quarterly basis.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individulal

Universe

All private households in the Island of Mauritius and the Island of Rodrigues.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

(i) Sampling frame The sampling frame used is a list of clusters or primary sampling units (PSUs) with their respective numbers of private households. The master sample of PSUs was drawn in 2005, based on the Relative Development Index (RDI) derived from the population census data. This index is used as the spatial stratification factor and is based on 12 variables encompassing housing and living conditions, literacy and education, and employment derived from the 2000 Housing and Population Census to rank PSUs. It will be updated at the next population census. The sampling frame as of Census 2000 consisted of 298,655 households (290,004 in Mauritius and 8,561 in Rodrigues).

(ii) Sampling method The sampling method is a stratified two-stage sampling design. At the first stage, PSUs are selected from the PSU master sample with probability proportional to size. At the second stage of the sampling process, a fixed number of households (10) are selected by systematic sampling from each selected PSU with religion, household size and the average monthly expenditure of the household as stratification criteria.

In 2010, 11,280 households were surveyed at the rate of 940 per month and the response rate for 2010 was 92.1%. It should be noted that the households that could not be surveyed were replaced by households with similar characteristics.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The CMPHS questionnaire comprises three modules: a basic module common to all rounds of the survey covering the general characteristics of the population, one or more special topic modules dealing with subjects requiring in-depth investigation and a third module grouping other topics of interest but investigated in less details.

Every year, different topics in the third module are covered according to user's needs. As the CMPHS is being used as the instrument for the measurement of labour force, employment and unemployment on a quarterly basis, a set of core questions on the labour force in Module III is kept constant at all rounds of the survey. it should be noted that questions on demographic & educational characteristics from Module I as well as household income & expenditure from Module III are also kept constant as far as possible.

The 2010 questionnaires were published in English and the detailed Modules are as follows:

Module I : Demographic and educational characteristics Module II : Economic characteristics of household members aged 12 years and over (labour force); Current activity, nature of work, hours of work, self-employed; and Unemployment
Module III: ICT; Household Indebtedness; Safety & Security; Domestic Tourism; and Household income and expenditure

Cleaning operations

The completed questionnaires are edited and coded by trained statistical officers and clerical officers.

Response rate

There are some households that could not be surveyed. The reasons were mainly due to changes in household size, moving away, refusal, non-contact. They were replaced by households with similar characteristics. The response rate for 2010 was 92.1%

Sampling error estimates

Standard errors and confidence intervals are calculated for the main labour force estimates and are published together with the quarterly results.

Data appraisal

In order to assess the reliability of the data, the following steps are done:

1. Compare age distribution of the population from survey results with that of demography;

2. Compare registered unemployed from survey results with the registered unemployed from the employment service;

3. Compare activity and unemployment rates over time;

4. Checks are made to ensure that there is no missing data

Seychelles recorded the highest Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in Africa as of 2023, at 16,940 U.S. dollars. The African island was, therefore, the only high-income country on the continent, according to the source's classification. Mauritius, Gabon, Botswana, Libya, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, and Namibia were defined as upper-middle-income economies, those with a GNI per capita between 4,516 U.S. dollars and 14,005 U.S. dollars. On the opposite, 20 African countries recorded a GNI per capita below 1,145 U.S. dollars, being thus classified as low-income economies. Among them, Burundi presented the lowest income per capita, some 230 U.S. dollars. Poverty and population growth in Africa Despite a few countries being in the high income and upper-middle countries classification, Africa had a significant number of people living under extreme poverty. However, this number is expected to decline gradually in the upcoming years, with experts forecasting that this number will decrease to almost 400 million individuals by 2030 from nearly 430 million in 2023, despite the continent currently having the highest population growth rate globally. African economic growth and prosperity In recent years, Africa showed significant growth in various industries, such as natural gas production, clean energy generation, and services exports. Furthermore, it is forecast that the GDP growth rate would reach 4.5 percent by 2027, keeping the overall positive trend of economic growth in the continent.