Mauritius is constitutionally a secular country, recent statistics are not available because questions on religious affiliations have been removed from the population census to promote Mauritianism. The 1968 constitution of Mauritius recognized four religious categories: Hindus, Muslims, Sino-Mauritians, and the general population. According to the last census when data on community was collected in 1972, Hindus make up 50.4%, Muslims 16.1%, Sino-Mauritian 2.9% and General Population 30.7%.
Most Franco-Mauritians and Mauritian Creoles are Christian. The Hindu population and most of the Muslim population are of South Asian origins. However, many Mauritians are of mixed descent, due to the fact that many of the slaves were mixed up causing many 'mixed races'. These languages are still preserved through the existence of different socio-cultural organizations and with the school systems obliging primary school students to study an oriental language. A minority of people are of Chinese descent, many of whom have embraced Christianity, following mainly Roman Catholicism. Some follow Buddhism and Confucian traditions
