A small volcanic, island nation in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is a former British Colony that obtained independence in 1968. In 1991, when the country became a Republic, a President designated by the National Assembly replaced the Governor General, who had previously represented the Queen of the United Kingdom, the former Head of State. Mauritius is now a democratic parliamentary republic, with a Prime Minister as the head of the executive.
Mauritius has a multi-ethnic, multi-religious population of 1.2 million. Uninhabited prior to its discovery, the country has no indigenous population. Africans were brought by French settlers as slaves in the 18th century and following the abolition of slavery by the British, Indians were brought as indentured labourers. In the early 1900s Chinese traders arrived on the island.
According to the 2022 census, at least 39% of the population is Hindu, 32% is Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) and 18% is Muslim. Approximately 0.6% of the population identify with other religions, including Buddhism. Another 0.6% of the population identify themselves as non-religious. It should be noted that Humanists International was unable to determine the religious beliefs of a further 9% of the population as it appears they have chosen to indicate their ethnicity rather than religious affiliation.
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Education and children’s rights |
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals |
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values |
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Constitution and government
Education and children’s rights
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Central African Republic, Congo, Republic of the, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, São Tomé and Príncipe, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Ukraine
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Comoros, Croatia, Egypt, Eswatini, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
No formal discrimination in education
Countries: Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo, Republic of the, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Iceland, India, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Russia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Uruguay
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No religious tribunals of concern, secular groups operate freely, individuals are not persecuted by the state
Countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Congo, Republic of the, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Kosovo, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Slovenia, Sweden, Taiwan, Uruguay, Venezuela
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Countries: Bahamas, Belgium, Czech Republic, Iceland, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition
No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand
Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition
Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious
This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.
The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination
Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others' rights, such as SRHR, women's rights, LGBTI+ rights.
May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others' rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)
Countries: Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Chile, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief
Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.
The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
Countries: Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Comoros, Eritrea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
There is systematic religious privilege
Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Kosovo, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Switzerland, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe
State-funded schools offer religious or ideological instruction with no secular or humanist alternative, but it is optional
Countries: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Italy, Kiribati, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Turkey
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Countries: Barbados, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Poland, Samoa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda
Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, China, Eritrea, Iran, Kuwait, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is severely restricted
Countries: Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Somalia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Countries: Andorra, Armenia, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Republic of the, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Niger, Paraguay, Poland, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United States of America
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Austria, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Republic of, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Zambia
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state
State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Comoros, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.
Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe
Official symbolic deference to religion
Countries: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Finland, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Republic of, Laos, Latvia, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety
This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording "significant number of schools" is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.
Religious schools have powers to discriminate in admissions or employment
Countries: Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zimbabwe
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the non-religious
Systemic religious privilege results in significant social discrimination
Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Countries: Comoros, Egypt, Haiti, Jamaica, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Turkey
‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence
Blasphemy or criticism of religion is restricted in law and is punishable by a fine
Countries: Australia, Austria, Barbados, Brazil, Cambodia, Finland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Moldova, Montenegro, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saint Lucia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom
Concerns that secular or religious authorities interfere in specifically religious freedoms
Countries: Angola, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Congo, Republic of the, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, North Korea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Venezuela, Viet Nam
State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
There is an established church or state religion
Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Finland, Georgia, Haiti, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Yemen, Zambia
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Countries: Cameroon, Dominica, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Guinea, India, Jamaica, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
Countries: Argentina, Armenia, Belize, Cambodia, Chad, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Germany, Guinea, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Samoa, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Hungary, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Countries: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Grenada, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Samoa, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
‘Blasphemy’ is outlawed or criticism of religion (including de facto ‘blasphemy’ laws) is restricted and punishable with a prison sentence
Countries: Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of religion or belief
Countries: Argentina, Burundi, Canada, Eritrea, Haiti, Jordan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tonga
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Religious groups control some public or social services
Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Denmark, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Countries: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Comoros, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
Countries: Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Samoa, Sweden, Switzerland
Religious control over family law or legislation on moral matters
Countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
Countries: Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates
Some concerns about children's right to specifically freedom of religion or belief
This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.
Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
Countries: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Republic of, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Montenegro, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Countries: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Egypt, Eritrea, Georgia, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan
| Systemic Discrimination |
| Mostly Satisfactory |
Constitution and government
Freedom of thought and religion is expressly protected under Article 11 of the Constitution, which provides for the freedom to change one’s religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate one’s religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
Chapter 2 of the Constitution contains a Bill of Rights securing to the people of Mauritius fundamental rights and freedom. It is largely modelled on the European Convention of Human Rights.
“Best Loser” system
However, there is one mechanism within the electoral process, known as the “Best Loser System”, which raises serious issues as to whether Mauritius should be regarded as a secular State. The Constitution provides that, for the purpose of appointing eight additional or “corrective” members of the National Assembly, the population shall be considered as being divided into four communities: Hindu, Muslim, Chinese and General Population. All candidates to a general election must declare to which community they belong. After the democratic results of a general election are declared, the Electoral Supervisory Commission analyses the results to determine which community is “underrepresented” and appoints up to eight “corrective” members of Parliament amongst the most successful unreturned candidates belonging to the “appropriate community”. This system was adopted following Mauritius’ independence to ensure unity in the country and respond to anxieties that one ethnic group would dominate politically.
A constitutional challenge to this system before the Supreme Court and a complaint before the United Nations Human Rights Committee have placed successive Governments under much pressure. Ahead of the 2015 general elections, temporary constitutional provisions were adopted to exempt candidates from the obligation to declare their “community”. In March 2025, the Prime Minister announced that this reform would be made permanent and that there would be an amendment to the Constitution. At the time of writing, this reform has not come into effect.
Previous attempts to reform the electoral system, including to introduce a dose of proportional representation and abolish the Best Loser System was tabled in late 2018, but the bill was not enacted.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed concern about the continued classification of the population of Mauritius. It has recommended holding countrywide consultations to change the existing classification of groups in a manner that allows for genuine self-identification.
Recognizing and funding religion
The six main religious groups that were present before independence have been recognized by parliamentary decrees, namely; Hindus, Catholics, Muslims, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Seventh-day Adventists, as well as the Church of Jesus Christ which was recognized in 1985. These religious organizations receive an annual lump sum payment from the finance ministry based on the number of their adherents as determined by the census. The law requires other religious groups to be registered under the registrar of associations, although there are no penalties for not registering. The finance ministry may grant these new groups tax-exempt privileges. While the non-religious are not able to register as a religious organization under the law, they are able to register a non-religious charitable trust, foundation or institution through which they could receive similar tax benefits.
Education and children’s rights
The Constitution provides for the right of any religious denomination or association to establish and maintain schools at its own expense. It also provides that no person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if that instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion that they do not profess. Both public and private primary and secondary schools are allowed to provide religious education. Catechism is taught in all Catholic schools but students are allowed to opt out and civic education classes are offered. Classes educating children on the traditions, practices and beliefs of Islam and Hinduism are offered in both private and public high schools, but religious classes in those faiths are provided outside of school.
The Education Act allows the government to provide grants in aid to non-government schools including schools established by religious bodies (known as “confessional schools”). Confessional schools are heavily subsidized by the Government. The Education Act stipulates that all Government schools and all schools in receipt of a regular grant in aid from Government funds shall be open to pupils of any race or religion.
Child marriage
While the rate of child marriage in Mauritius is relatively low, the practice does still occur and is accepted by some religious groups. The 2020 Children’s Act set the legal age at 18 for both sexes, officially criminalizing child marriage. In its latest Universal Periodic Review the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that Mauritius ensure the full implementation and monitoring of this law, including by sanctioning those officiating child marriages.
Family, community and society
Despite the legislation in place to ensure fair representation of ethno-religious minorities in Mauritian politics, different groups often express feeling under-represented in certain sectors. Tensions between Hindus and Muslims also continue to be reported. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed concern about the persistence of hierarchical structures along ethnic and cast lines.
Women’s Rights
According to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights “deep-rooted gender role stereotypes, patriarchal attitudes and persistent discriminatory cultural norms and practices against women” persist in Mauritius.
Gender-based violence against women and girls remains prevalent, particularly domestic violence. National legislation does not include a comprehensive definition of discrimination against women and discriminatory provisions in the Constitution remain in force.
Marriage
Women in religious marriages, whose marriages are not registered, do not benefit from any legal rights protection. This situation particularly affects Muslim women in Mauritius who may face a range of personal status issues including polygamy, rights of survival, divorce, recognition of children, and custody. It is estimated that about 110,500 Muslim women in Mauritius could be impacted by these legal inequalities.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has recommended that Mauritius make the registration of all marriages mandatory and to criminalize non-compliance.
Abortion
Before 2012 abortion was prohibited in all cases. However, despite different degrees of opposition from religious groups, the Criminal Code was amended to authorize abortion where the continued pregnancy would endanger the life or health of the pregnant woman, including mental health considerations, or where there is a substantial risk that the continued pregnancy will result in a severe malformation, or severe physical or mental abnormality, of the foetus, or if the pregnancy has not exceeded its fourteenth week and results from a case of rape, sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 or sexual intercourse with a specified person which has been reported to the police. Although complications related to unsafe abortion are decreasing, illegal abortions continue to take place due to the limited circumstances under which the procedure is permitted.
LGBTI+ Rights
In October 2023, the Supreme Court decriminalized same-sex sexual relations, stating that their prohibition did not “reflect any indigenous Mauritian values but was inherited as part of [the] colonial history from Britain.” Previous attempts by the Government to abolish the prohibition of “sodomy” between consenting adults had faced opposition by religious groups, and the 2018 gay pride parade was blocked by religious groups and had to be cancelled. However, not all religious groups are hostile to LGBTI+ people; in 2023 the Council of Religions hosted a workshop on preventing stigmatization of the LGBTI+ community.
Same-sex marriage remains unrecognized however, and LGBTI+ people reportedly still face discrimination and violations of their individual rights and freedoms. There is further work to be done to protect the rights of the LGBTI+ community both in law and practice. In their joint submission to the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review for Mauritius, the Young Queer Alliance and ILGA World recommended amending section 282 of the Criminal Code to broaden the current terminology beyond “racial hatred” to include “sex”, “sexual orientation” and “sexual identity” in order to encompass all forms of incitement to hatred. As part of the same review, another group of LGBTI+ rights organizations recommended that other anti-discrimination legislation, such as the Equal Opportunities Act, be amended to include “gender”, “gender non-conforming” and “transgender persons”.
Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values
Political and civil rights have historically been well protected in Mauritius and the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression under Article 12. However, over recent years there has been a tightening of restrictions on freedom of expression while corruption continues to be an issue.
In the lead up to the 2024 parliamentary elections, leaked audio recordings of conversations between high profile government figures were posted on various social media platforms. According to Human Rights Watch, the recordings appear to include references to state-sanctioned mass surveillance. In response to the leaks, access to all social media platforms was shut down, days before the election. Twenty-four hours later, after widespread criticism, the shutdown was lifted.
Media Freedom
According to Reporters Without Borders,
“The media scene in Mauritius consists of two very distinct sectors. On the one hand, there are highly politicised media, including the national radio and TV broadcaster and other pro-government media, which are often guilty of propagandising, and media that supports the opposition, which are at risk of being sidelined by the government. On the other hand, there are media outlets that are very outspoken but sometimes veer towards sensationalism and undermine the quality of their reporting. Independent, serious and reliable media struggle to find a place in this landscape.”
Sanctions by the media regulatory agency, which sits within the executive branch, are reported to disproportionately target opposition media. In 2018, the Information and Communications (ICT) Act was revised meaning that journalists could face prison sentences of up to ten years for content deemed to be “offensive” or “likely to cause harm”.
Threats and acts of intimidation against journalists, while previously rare, have increased in recent years. Four journalists critical of the government faced cyber-harassment in 2022 and two of them were also targeted during a series of arrests.
In December 2020, a radio station was taken off air for 72 hours following a programme during which a unionist called Indian Prime Minister, Narenda Modi “racist”.
Defamation is criminalized under Mauritius’ Criminal Code Act. UNESCO has recommended decriminalizing defamation and placing it within a civil code in accordance with international standards.
‘Blasphemy’ law
Section 206 of the Criminal Code criminalizes causing “outrage against public and religious morality”.
Section 206 (1) reads:
“Any person who by words, exclamations or threats used in a public place or meeting; by any writing, newspaper, pamphlet or other printed matter, or by any drawing, engraving, picture, emblem or image, sold or distributed or put up for sale or exhibited in any public place or meeting; or by any placard or handbill exhibited for public inspection, commits any outrage against any religion legally established, or against good morals or against public and religious morality (‘la morale publique et religieuse’), shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and to a fine not exceeding 100,000 rupees.”
The penalty amounts to approximately $2,250 USD.
Section 206 (1) (b) further stipulates that “matters of opinion on religious questions” are not deemed to be an outrage.
The “outrage on religious worship” is also criminalized in Section 185 of the Criminal Code:
“Any person who, by word or gesture, commits an outrage on the objects used for religious worship in the place devoted to or actually used for such religious worship, or upon any minister of such religion whilst officiating as such, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding 100,000 rupees, and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.”
There are no recent reports of the use of the ‘blasphemy’ laws in Mauritius.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
It has been reported that, while there may not be systemic violations, assemblies and protests have been more closely monitored by the authorities over recent years. For example, militarized police were deployed during peaceful protests in Port Louis in 2021. These trends have caused civil society actors to feel more restricted in their work and there are reports of human rights defenders facing arbitrary arrests, unlawful interference in their privacy, censorship and a lack of investigation into violence perpetrated against them.
Lawyers taking on human rights cases also report feeling increasingly less safe when carrying out their work, citing persecution by the Special Striking Team, a section of the Mauritian police force.