Demographics of Seychelles

"Seychellois" redirects here. For the ethnic group, see Seychellois Creole people. For other uses, see Seychellois (disambiguation).

Demographic features of the population of Seychelles include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Demographics of Seychelles
Population pyramid of the Seychelles in 2020
Population	97,017 (2022 est.)
Growth rate	0.64% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	12.37 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Net migration rate	0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	18.85%
65 and over	8.27%
Nationality
Nationality	Seychellois
Language
Official	Seychellois Creole, English, French

About 90% of the Seychellois people live on the island of Mahé. Most of the rest live on Praslin and La Digue, with the remaining smaller islands either sparsely populated or uninhabited.

Most Seychellois are descendants of early French settlers and East Africans who arrived in the 19th century. Tamils, along with other South Indians and Chinese (1.1% of the population) account for the other permanent inhabitants. About 1,703 (2000) expatriates live and work in Seychelles. In 1901, there were roughly 3500 Tamil speakers out of the country's population of 19,237. Tamil immigrants arrived in Seychelles as early as 1770 and were among the first settlers to the originally sparsely inhabited island nation.

Seychelles culture is a mixture of French and African (Creole) influences. The local Seychellois Creole (Kreol), a creole language derived from French and African tongues, is the native language of 91.8% of the people; but English and French are also commonly used. English remains the language of government and commerce.

About 91.9% of the adult population is literate, and the literacy rate of school-aged children has risen to well over 98%. Increases are expected, as nearly all children of primary school age attend school, and the government encourages adult education.

Vital statistics

Demographics of Seychelles, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

	Population (in thousands)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	TFR
1950	36	1 061	418	643	29.5	11.6	17.9
1951	34	1 033	425	608	30.4	12.5	17.9
1952	36	1 037	456	581	28.8	12.7	16.1
1953	37	1 169	438	731	31.6	11.8	19.8
1954	37	1 209	457	752	32.7	12.4	20.3
1955	39	1 303	456	847	33.4	11.7	21.7
1956	38	1 458	468	990	38.4	12.3	26.1
1957	38	1 534	424	1 110	40.4	11.2	29.2
1958	39	1 553	450	1 103	39.8	11.5	28.3
1959	40	1 595	421	1 174	39.9	10.5	29.4
1960	42	1 714	450	1 264	40.8	10.7	30.1
1961	43	1 775	574	1 201	41.3	13.3	27.9
1962	44	1 733	504	1 229	39.4	11.5	27.9
1963	45	1 855	513	1 342	41.2	11.4	29.8
1964	46	1 867	485	1 382	40.6	10.5	30.0
1965	47	1 772	563	1 209	37.7	12.0	25.7
1966	47	1 895	515	1 380	40.3	11.0	29.4
1967	48	1 827	536	1 291	38.1	11.2	26.9
1968	49	1 738	538	1 200	35.5	11.0	24.5
1969	51	1 715	561	1 154	33.6	11.0	22.6
1970	52	1 660	437	1 223	31.9	8.4	23.5
1971	54.695	1 837	464	1 373	34.7	8.8	25.9
1972	56.029	1 723	529	1 194	31.3	9.6	21.7
1973	56.892	1 639	475	1 164	29.3	8.5	20.8
1974	57.937	1 860	497	1 363	32.6	8.7	23.9
1975	59.292	1 806	433	1 373	30.6	7.3	23.3
1976	60.504	1 642	466	1 176	26.9	7.6	19.3
1977	61.786	1 599	477	1 122	25.8	7.7	18.1
1978	62.150	1 796	466	1 330	29.0	7.5	21.5
1979	62.686	1 730	438	1 292	27.5	7.0	20.5
1980	63.261	1 830	444	1 386	29.0	7.0	22.0
1981	64.035	1 802	442	1 360	28.2	6.9	21.3
1982	64.413	1 552	482	1 070	24.3	7.5	16.7
1983	64.335	1 662	452	1 210	25.8	7.0	18.8
1984	64.717	1 739	488	1 251	26.9	7.6	19.4
1985	65.244	1 729	468	1 261	26.5	7.2	19.3
1986	65.652	1 722	498	1 224	26.2	7.6	18.6
1987	68.499	1 684	505	1 179	25.4	7.6	17.8
1988	68.755	1 643	504	1 139	24.7	7.6	17.1
1989	69.167	1 600	563	1 037	23.2	8.2	15.0
1990	69.507	1 617	543	1 074	23.3	7.8	15.5
1991	70.439	1 708	545	1 163	24.2	7.7	16.5
1992	70.763	1 603	522	1 081	22.7	7.4	15.3
1993	72.253	1 689	597	1 092	23.4	8.3	15.1
1994	74.205	1 700	550	1 150	23.0	7.5	15.6
1995	75.304	1 582	525	1 057	21.0	7.0	14.0
1996	76.417	1 611	566	1 045	21.1	7.4	13.7
1997	77.319	1 475	603	872	19.1	7.8	11.3
1998	78.846	1 412	570	842	17.9	7.2	10.7
1999	80.410	1 460	560	900	18.2	7.0	11.2
2000	81.131	1 512	553	959	18.6	6.8	11.8
2001	81.202	1 440	554	886	17.7	6.8	10.9	1.98
2002	83.723	1 481	647	834	17.7	7.7	10.0	2.04
2003	82.781	1 498	668	830	18.1	8.1	10.0	2.06
2004	82.475	1 435	611	824	17.3	7.4	9.9	2.01
2005	82.858	1 536	673	863	18.3	8.0	10.3	2.20
2006	84.600	1 467	664	803	17.3	7.8	9.4	2.11
2007	85.033	1 499	630	869	17.4	7.3	10.1	2.24
2008	86.956	1 546	662	884	17.8	7.6	10.2	2.33
2009	87.298	1 580	684	896	18.1	7.8	10.3	2.38
2010	89.770	1 504	664	840	16.8	7.4	9.4	2.17
2011	87.441	1 625	691	934	18.6	7.9	10.7	2.33
2012	88.303	1 645	651	994	18.6	7.4	11.3	2.37
2013	89.949	1 566	717	849	17.4	8.0	9.4	2.26
2014	91.359	1 557	725	832	17.0	7.9	9.1	2.25
2015	93.419	1 592	703	889	17.0	7.5	9.5	2.31
2016	94.677	1 645	747	898	17.4	7.9	9.5	2.39
2017	95.843	1 651	748	903	17.2	7.8	9.4	2.41
2018	96.762	1 650	818	832	17.1	8.4	8.7	2.41
2019	97.625	1 605	795	810	16.4	8.1	8.3	2.36
2020	98.462	1 554	668	886	15.8	6.8	9.0	2.29
2021	99.258	1 665	925	740	16.8	9.3	7.5	2.46
2022	119.878	1 569	941	628	13.1	7.8	5.3	2.01
2023	119.773	1 553	879	674	13.0	7.3	5.7	2.02

Structure of the population

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2013):

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	44 735	45 214	89 949	100
0-4	3 777	3 631	7 408	8.24
5-9	3 179	3 215	6 394	7.11
10-14	3 131	2 952	6 083	6.76
15-19	3 411	3 187	6 598	7.34
20-24	3 393	2 844	6 237	6.93
25-29	3 609	3 473	7 082	7.87
30-34	3 751	3 681	7 432	8.26
35-39	3 529	3 693	7 222	8.03
40-44	3 656	3 536	7 192	8.00
45-49	3 371	3 628	6 999	7.78
50-54	3 162	3 153	6 315	7.02
55-59	2 473	2 351	4 824	5.36
60-64	1 459	1 604	3 063	3.41
65-69	1 106	1 193	2 299	2.56
70-74	789	999	1 788	1.99
75-79	468	890	1 358	1.51
80-84	286	634	920	1.02
85-89	141	349	490	0.54
90-94	37	152	189	0.21
95-99	6	44	50	0.06
100+	1	5	6	0.01
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	10 087	9 798	19 885	22.11
15-64	31 814	31 150	62 964	70.00
65+	2 834	4 266	7 100	7.89

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	50 061	48 401	98 462	100
0–4	4 068	3 869	7 937	8.06
5–9	3 952	3 679	7 631	7.75
10–14	2 761	2 610	5 371	5.45
15–19	2 441	2 642	5 083	5.16
20–24	1 630	1 344	2 974	3.02
25–29	3 013	2 170	5 183	5.26
30–34	3 790	2 615	6 405	6.51
35–39	4 986	4 363	9 349	9.50
40–44	3 724	3 552	7 276	7.39
45–49	4 294	3 944	8 238	8.37
50–54	3 124	3 632	6 756	6.86
55–59	4 010	4 529	8 539	8.67
60–64	3 219	3 312	6 531	6.63
65-69	2 439	2 454	4 893	4.97
70-74	1 352	1 431	2 783	2.83
75-79	768	917	1 685	1.71
80-84	331	671	1 002	1.02
85-89	134	455	589	0.60
90+	25	212	237	0.24
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	10 781	10 158	20 939	21.27
15–64	34 231	32 103	66 334	67.37
65+	5 049	6 140	11 189	11.36

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.

• One birth every 360 minutes
• One death every 720 minutes
• One net migrant every 1440 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 1440 minutes

The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated.

Population

97,017 (2022 est.)

96,387 (July 2021 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 10.5% (Anglican 6.1%, Pentecostal Assembly 1.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.2%, other Protestant 1.7%), other Christian 2.4%, Hindu 2.4%, Muslim 1.6%, other non-Christian 1.1%, unspecified 4.8%, none 0.9% (2010 est.)

Age structure

Population pyramid of Seychelles in 2020

0-14 years: 18.85% (male 9,297 /female 8,798)

15-24 years: 12.39% (male 6,283 /female 5,607)

25-54 years: 49.03% (male 25,209 /female 21,851)

55-64 years: 11.46% (male 5,545 /female 5,455)

65 years and over: 8.27% (male 3,272 /female 4,664) (2020 est.)

0–14 years: 26.4% (male 10,839; female 10,601)

15–64 years: 67.4% (male 26,709; female 28,025)

65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,622; female 3,392) (2005 est.)

Median age

total: 36.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 76th

male: 36.3 years

female: 37.4 years (2020 est.)

Birth rate

12.37 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 148th

12.63 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 146th

Death rate

6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 123rd

6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 125th

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 141st

1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Population growth rate

0.64% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 139th

0.67% (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 142nd

0.79% (2005 est.)

Demographics profile

Life expectancy in Seychelles

Seychelles has no indigenous population and was first permanently settled by a small group of French colonizers, Africans, and South Indians in 1770. Seychelles' modern population is composed of the descendants of French and later British colonizers, Africans, and Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern traders and is concentrated on three of its 155 islands – the vast majority on Mahe and lesser numbers on Praslin and La Digue. Seychelles' population grew rapidly during the second half of the 20th century, largely due to natural increase, but the pace has slowed because of fertility decline. The total fertility rate dropped sharply from 4.0 children per woman in 1980 to 1.9 in 2015, mainly as a result of a family planning program, free education and health care, and increased female labor force participation. Life expectancy has increased steadily, but women on average live 9 years longer than men, a difference that is higher than that typical of developed countries.

The combination of reduced fertility and increased longevity has resulted in an aging population, which will put pressure on the government's provision of pensions and health care. Seychelles' sustained investment in social welfare services, such as free primary health care and education up to the post-secondary level, have enabled the country to achieve a high human development index score, among the highest in Africa. Despite some of its health and education indicators being nearly on par with Western countries, Seychelles has a high level of income inequality.

Net migration rate

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 67th

0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 62nd

Dependency ratios

Total dependency ratio: 46.7 (2020 est.)

Youth dependency ratio: 34.9 (2020 est.)

Elderly dependency ratio: 11.8 (2020 est.)

Potential support ratio: 8.5 (2020 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population: 58.4% of total population (2022)

Rate of urbanization: 0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Urban population: 55.7% of total population (2018)

Rate of urbanization: 1.26% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 76.1 years. Country comparison to the world: 109th male: 71.67 years female: 80.66 years (2022 est.)

Total population: 75.8 years

Male: 71.4 years

Female: 80.4 years (2021 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.70 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Nationality

noun: Seychellois (singular and plural), adjective: Seychelles

Ethnic groups

Predominantly creole (mainly of East African and Malagasy heritage); also French, Indian, Chinese, and Arab populations

Languages

Seychellois Creole (official) 89.1%, English (official) 5.1%, French (official) 0.7%, Other 3.8%, Unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)

Education expenditures

3.9% of GDP (2019) Country comparison to the world: 110th

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 95.9%

Male: 95.4%

Female: 96.4% (2018 est.)

total population: 91.9%

male: 91.4%

female: 92.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Total: 14 years

Male: 13 years

Female: 15 years (2020)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

Total: 16.4%

Male: 17.4%

Female: 15.5% (2020 est.)

Census

The Seychelles census has now been postponed by one year, from August 2020 to August 2021. Field mapping, questionnaire design, and pretest of data collection tools using tablets are all proceeding.