The majority of Mauritians are descended from Indians, Chinese, Malay, African and Malagasy and people from other parts of South Asia who were brought in as indentured labor to work in the plantations, while large minorities are also descended from Europeans.
Indian diaspora
The Franco-Mauritian elite not only controlled nearly all of the large sugar estates but was also active in business and banking. When the population of Indian origin increased the political power shifted from the French elite to the Indians.
Democracy in Mauritius
The ethnic groups of Mauritius consisted of Indo-Mauritians (30%), Afro-Mauritians (48%), Sino-Mauritians (26%), and Franco-Mauritians (28%).
