Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Seychelles. The smallest African country in terms of both area and population; the constitution of the Republic of Seychelles lists 155 islands, 42 granitic and 113 coralline; by far the largest island is Mahe, which is home to about 90% of the population and the site of the capital city of Victoria. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020)
Location | archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar |
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Geographic coordinates | 4 35 S, 55 40 E |
Map references | Africa |
Tarrain | Mahe Group is volcanic with a narrow coastal strip and rocky, hilly interior; others are relatively flat coral atolls, or elevated reefs; sits atop the submarine Mascarene Plateau |
Natural Resources | fish, coconuts (copra), cinnamon trees |
Natural Hazards | lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; occasional short droughts |
Irrigated Land | 3 sq km (2012) |
Major rivers (by length in km) | |
Major aquifers | |
Land Boundaries | 0 km |
Border Countries | |
Coastline | 491 km |
Climate | tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) |
Area | |
Total Area | |
Land Area | 455 sq km |
Water Area | 0 sq km |
comparative Area | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Maritime Claims | |
Territorial sea | 12 nm |
Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
Continental shelf | 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Elevations | |
Highest point | Morne Seychellois 905 m |
Lowest point | Indian Ocean 0 m |
Land Use | |
Agricultural land | 6.5% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 2.2% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 4.3% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.) |
Forest | 88.5% (2018 est.) |
Other | 5% (2018 est.) |
More than three-quarters of the population lives on the main island of Mahe; Praslin contains less than 10%; a smaller percent on La Digue and the outer islands as shown in this population distribution map
In Seychelles, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Predominantly Creole (mainly of East African and Malagasy heritage); also French, Indian, Chinese, and Arab populations
Population | |
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Pop growth rate | 0.56% (2024 est.) |
Birth rate | 11.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Death rate | 7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Health expenditure | 6.4% of GDP (2020) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | 3.6 beds/1,000 population (2011) |
Total fertility rate | 1.81 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 0.89 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | NA |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 45% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
Education expenditures | 5.2% of GDP (2020 est.) |
Net Migration rate | 0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Nationality | Seychellois | Seychellois (singular and plural) |
Languages | Seychellois Creole (official) 89.1%, English (official) 5.1%, French (official) 0.7%, other 3.8%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 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 | |
0-14 years | 17.7% (male 8,912/female 8,439) |
15-64 years | 72.4% (male 37,841/female 33,210) |
65 years and over | 10% (2024 est.) (male 4,220/female 5,565) |
Dependency Ratios | |
Total dependency ratio | 45 |
Youth dependency ratio | 33.6 |
Elderly dependency ratio | 11.4 |
Potential support ratio | 8.7 (2021 est.) |
Median Age | |
Total | 38.7 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 38.2 years |
Female | 39.4 years |
Urbanization | |
Urban population | 58.8% of total population (2023) |
Rate of urbanization | 0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Major urban areas (Pop) | 28,000 VICTORIA (capital) (2018). |
Sex Ratio | |
At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
0-14 years | 1.06 male(s)/female |
15-64 years | 1.14 male(s)/female |
65 years and over | 0.76 male(s)/female |
Total population | 1.08 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
Infant Motality | |
Total | 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
Male | 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
Female | 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life Expectancy at birth | |
Total population | 76.6 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 72.2 years |
Female | 81.1 years |
Drinking Water Sources | |
Improved: urban | urban: NA |
Improved: rural | rural: NA |
Improved: total | total: 96.2% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: NA |
Unimproved: rural | rural: NA |
Unimproved: total | total: 3.8% of population (2017 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: NA |
Improved: rural | rural: NA |
Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: NA |
Unimproved: rural | rural: NA |
Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
Alcohol consumption per capita | |
Total | 9.48 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Beer | 4.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Wine | 0.49 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Spirits | 4.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Other alcohols | 0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Tobacco use | |
Total | 20.2% (2020 est.) |
Male | 34% (2020 est.) |
Female | 6.4% (2020 est.) |
Seychelles has no indigenous population and was first permanently settled by a small group of French planters, African slaves, and South Indians in 1770. Seychelles’ modern population is composed of the descendants of French and later British settlers, 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.
An increasing number of migrant workers – mainly young men – have been coming to Seychelles in recent years to work in the construction and tourism industries. As of 2011, foreign workers made up nearly a quarter of the workforce. Indians are the largest non-Seychellois population – representing half of the country’s foreigners – followed by Malagasy.
Want to know more about Seychelles? Check all different factbooks for Seychelles below.