Demographics of Seychelles

{{Short description|none}} {{Redirect|Seychellois|the ethnic group|Seychellois Creole people}} {{Use British English|date=June 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox place demographics|place=Seychelles|image=File:Seychelles single age population pyramid 2020.png|image_size=300|caption=Population pyramid of the Seychelles in 2020|size_of_population=97,017 (2022 est.)|nation=Seychellois|official=Seychellois Creole, English, French|age_0–14_years=18.85%|age_65_years=8.27%|growth=0.64% (2022 est.)|birth=12.37 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)|death=6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)|net_migration=0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)}}

Demographic features of the population of Seychelles include population density, ethnicity, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Seychelles has no indigenous population and was first permanently settled by a small group of French colonists, 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 labour 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.

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 3,500 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 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.

The combination of reduced fertility and increased longevity has resulted in an ageing 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.

==Population== [[Image:Seychelles demography.png|thumb|305px|Demographics of Seychelles, Data of FAO, year 2005; Number of inhabitants in thousands.]] {{Historical populations | percentages = pagr |footnote = Source:<ref>{{cite web |title=POBLACIÓN EN LA REPÚBLICA, POR PROVINCIA Y COMARCA INDÍGENA: CENSOS DE 1911 A 2023 |url=https://www.inec.gob.pa/archivos/P00453527620231009162255CUADRO%209.pdf |website=Insituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de Panamá |access-date=8 March 2024}}</ref> |title = Census population and growth rate |1901|19237 |1911|22691 |1921|24523 |1931|27444 |1947|34632 |1960|41425 |1971|53096 |1977|61898 |1987|68598 |1994|74331 |2002|80755 |2010|90945 |2022|102612 }}

=== Structure of the population ===

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2013):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm|title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics|publisher=United Nations}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! width="80pt"|Age group ! width="80pt"|Male ! width="80pt"|Female ! width="80pt"|Total ! width="80pt"|% |- | align="right" | Total | align="right" | 44 735 | align="right" | 45 214 | align="right" | 89 949 | align="right" | 100 |- | align="right" | 0–4 | align="right" | 3 777 | align="right" | 3 631 | align="right" | 7 408 | align="right" | 8.24 |- | align="right" | 5–9 | align="right" | 3 179 | align="right" | 3 215 | align="right" | 6 394 | align="right" | 7.11 |- | align="right" | 10–14 | align="right" | 3 131 | align="right" | 2 952 | align="right" | 6 083 | align="right" | 6.76 |- | align="right" | 15–19 | align="right" | 3 411 | align="right" | 3 187 | align="right" | 6 598 | align="right" | 7.34 |- | align="right" | 20–24 | align="right" | 3 393 | align="right" | 2 844 | align="right" | 6 237 | align="right" | 6.93 |- | align="right" | 25–29 | align="right" | 3 609 | align="right" | 3 473 | align="right" | 7 082 | align="right" | 7.87 |- | align="right" | 30–34 | align="right" | 3 751 | align="right" | 3 681 | align="right" | 7 432 | align="right" | 8.26 |- | align="right" | 35–39 | align="right" | 3 529 | align="right" | 3 693 | align="right" | 7 222 | align="right" | 8.03 |- | align="right" | 40–44 | align="right" | 3 656 | align="right" | 3 536 | align="right" | 7 192 | align="right" | 8.00 |- | align="right" | 45–49 | align="right" | 3 371 | align="right" | 3 628 | align="right" | 6 999 | align="right" | 7.78 |- | align="right" | 50–54 | align="right" | 3 162 | align="right" | 3 153 | align="right" | 6 315 | align="right" | 7.02 |- | align="right" | 55–59 | align="right" | 2 473 | align="right" | 2 351 | align="right" | 4 824 | align="right" | 5.36 |- | align="right" | 60–64 | align="right" | 1 459 | align="right" | 1 604 | align="right" | 3 063 | align="right" | 3.41 |- | align="right" | 65–69 | align="right" | 1 106 | align="right" | 1 193 | align="right" | 2 299 | align="right" | 2.56 |- | align="right" | 70–74 | align="right" | 789 | align="right" | 999 | align="right" | 1 788 | align="right" | 1.99 |- | align="right" | 75–79 | align="right" | 468 | align="right" | 890 | align="right" | 1 358 | align="right" | 1.51 |- | align="right" | 80–84 | align="right" | 286 | align="right" | 634 | align="right" | 920 | align="right" | 1.02 |- | align="right" | 85–89 | align="right" | 141 | align="right" | 349 | align="right" | 490 | align="right" | 0.54 |- | align="right" | 90–94 | align="right" | 37 | align="right" | 152 | align="right" | 189 | align="right" | 0.21 |- | align="right" | 95–99 | align="right" | 6 | align="right" | 44 | align="right" | 50 | align="right" | 0.06 |- | align="right" | 100+ | align="right" | 1 | align="right" | 5 | align="right" | 6 | align="right" | 0.01 |- ! width="50"|Age group ! width="80pt"|Male ! width="80"|Female ! width="80"|Total ! width="50"|Percent |- | align="right" | 0–14 | align="right" | 10 087 | align="right" | 9 798 | align="right" | 19 885 | align="right" | 22.11 |- | align="right" | 15–64 | align="right" | 31 814 | align="right" | 31 150 | align="right" | 62 964 | align="right" | 70.00 |- | align="right" | 65+ | align="right" | 2 834 | align="right" | 4 266 | align="right" | 7 100 | align="right" | 7.89 |- |}

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/ | title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! width="80pt"|Age group ! width="80pt"|Male ! width="80pt"|Female ! width="80pt"|Total ! width="80pt"|% |- | align="right" | Total | align="right" | 50 061 | align="right" | 48 401 | align="right" | 98 462 | align="right" | 100 |- | align="right" | 0–4 | align="right" | 4 068 | align="right" | 3 869 | align="right" | 7 937 | align="right" | 8.06 |- | align="right" | 5–9 | align="right" | 3 952 | align="right" | 3 679 | align="right" | 7 631 | align="right" | 7.75 |- | align="right" | 10–14 | align="right" | 2 761 | align="right" | 2 610 | align="right" | 5 371 | align="right" | 5.45 |- | align="right" | 15–19 | align="right" | 2 441 | align="right" | 2 642 | align="right" | 5 083 | align="right" | 5.16 |- | align="right" | 20–24 | align="right" | 1 630 | align="right" | 1 344 | align="right" | 2 974 | align="right" | 3.02 |- | align="right" | 25–29 | align="right" | 3 013 | align="right" | 2 170 | align="right" | 5 183 | align="right" | 5.26 |- | align="right" | 30–34 | align="right" | 3 790 | align="right" | 2 615 | align="right" | 6 405 | align="right" | 6.51 |- | align="right" | 35–39 | align="right" | 4 986 | align="right" | 4 363 | align="right" | 9 349 | align="right" | 9.50 |- | align="right" | 40–44 | align="right" | 3 724 | align="right" | 3 552 | align="right" | 7 276 | align="right" | 7.39 |- | align="right" | 45–49 | align="right" | 4 294 | align="right" | 3 944 | align="right" | 8 238 | align="right" | 8.37 |- | align="right" | 50–54 | align="right" | 3 124 | align="right" | 3 632 | align="right" | 6 756 | align="right" | 6.86 |- | align="right" | 55–59 | align="right" | 4 010 | align="right" | 4 529 | align="right" | 8 539 | align="right" | 8.67 |- | align="right" | 60–64 | align="right" | 3 219 | align="right" | 3 312 | align="right" | 6 531 | align="right" | 6.63 |- | align="right" | 65–69 | align="right" | 2 439 | align="right" | 2 454 | align="right" | 4 893 | align="right" | 4.97 |- | align="right" | 70–74 | align="right" | 1 352 | align="right" | 1 431 | align="right" | 2 783 | align="right" | 2.83 |- | align="right" | 75–79 | align="right" | 768 | align="right" | 917 | align="right" | 1 685 | align="right" | 1.71 |- | align="right" | 80–84 | align="right" | 331 | align="right" | 671 | align="right" | 1 002 | align="right" | 1.02 |- | align="right" | 85–89 | align="right" | 134 | align="right" | 455 | align="right" | 589 | align="right" | 0.60 |- | align="right" | 90+ | align="right" | 25 | align="right" | 212 | align="right" | 237 | align="right" | 0.24 |- ! width="50"|Age group ! width="80pt"|Male ! width="80"|Female ! width="80"|Total ! width="50"|Percent |- | align="right" | 0–14 | align="right" | 10 781 | align="right" | 10 158 | align="right" | 20 939 | align="right" | 21.27 |- | align="right" | 15–64 | align="right" | 34 231 | align="right" | 32 103 | align="right" | 66 334 | align="right" | 67.37 |- | align="right" | 65+ | align="right" | 5 049 | align="right" | 6 140 | align="right" | 11 189 | align="right" | 11.36 |- |}

==Vital statistics==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;" |- ! ! width="70pt"|Population<ref>[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm#2001] United nations. Demographic Yearbooks</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.misd.gov.sc/sdas/|title=MISD: Statistics & Database Administration Section|website=misd.gov.sc}}</ref> ! width="70pt"|Live births ! width="70pt"|Deaths ! width="70pt"|Natural change ! width="70pt"|Crude birth rate (per 1000) ! width="70pt"|Crude death rate (per 1000) ! width="70pt"|Natural change (per 1000) ! width="70pt"|TFR |- | 1950 | 36,000 |1,061|| 418|| 643 |29.5||11.6||17.9|| |- | 1951 | 34,000 |1,033|| 425|| 608 |30.4||12.5||17.9|| |- | 1952 | 36,000 |1,037|| 456|| 581 |28.8||12.7||16.1|| |- | 1953 | 37,000 |1,169|| 438|| 731 |31.6||11.8||19.8|| |- | 1954 | 37,000 |1,209|| 457|| 752 |32.7||12.4||20.3|| |- | 1955 | 39,000 |1,303|| 456|| 847 |33.4||11.7||21.7|| |- | 1956 | 38,000 |1,458|| 468|| 990 |38.4||12.3||26.1|| |- | 1957 | 38,000 |1,534|| 424||1,110 |40.4||11.2||29.2|| |- | 1958 | 39,000 |1,553|| 450||1,103 |39.8||11.5||28.3|| |- | 1959 | 40,000 |1,595|| 421||1,174 |39.9||10.5||29.4|| |- | 1960 | 42,000 |1,714|| 450||1,264 |40.8||10.7||30.1|| |- | 1961 | 43,000 |1,775|| 574||1,201 |41.3||13.3||27.9|| |- | 1962 | 44,000 |1,733|| 504||1,229 |39.4||11.5||27.9|| |- | 1963 | 45,000 |1,855|| 513||1,342 |41.2||11.4||29.8|| |- | 1964 | 46,000 |1,867|| 485||1,382 |40.6||10.5||30.0|| |- | 1965 | 47,000 |1,772|| 563||1,209 |37.7||12.0||25.7|| |- | 1966 | 47,000 |1,895|| 515||1,380 |40.3||11.0||29.4|| |- | 1967 | 48,000 |1,827|| 536||1,291 |38.1||11.2||26.9|| |- | 1968 | 49,000 |1,738|| 538||1,200 |35.5||11.0||24.5|| |- | 1969 | 51,000 |1,715|| 561||1,154 |33.6||11.0||22.6|| |- | 1970 | 52,000 |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 |- | 2024 | 121,354 |1,333|| 850|| 483 |11.0|| 7.0||4.0||1.73 |- | 2025<ref>{{Cite web |title=End of year population 2025 |url=https://www.nbs.gov.sc/downloads/1924-end-of-year-population-2025/viewdocument/1924 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=National Bureau of Statistics Seychelles}}</ref> | 122,730 |1,293|| 845|| 448 |10.5|| 6.9||3.7||1.68 |}

===Life expectancy=== thumb|305px|Life expectancy in Seychelles 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.)

==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.)

==Religion==

{{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religious Affiliation in the Seychelles (2022 Census)<ref name=2022Census>{{Cite web |date=21 March 2024 |title=Seychelles Population and Housing Census 2022 |url=https://www.nbs.gov.sc/downloads/1555-seychelles-population-and-housing-census-2022 |pages=30–31 |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=National Bureau of Statistics Seychelles |language=en-gb}}</ref>

|label1 = Roman Catholicism |value1 = 61.3 |color1 = DodgerBlue |label2 = Other Christian |value2 = 13.6 |color2 = Blue |label3 = Hinduism |value3 = 5.4 |color3 = DarkOrange |label4 = Islam |value4 = 2.4 |color4 = Green |label5 = Other |value5 = 5.1 |color5 = lightgrey |label6 = Not stated{{efn|Includes Not Specified, Missing and Unable to classify- data mentioned in the Census}} |value6 = 12.2 |color6 = grey }}

Roman Catholic 76.2%, Anglican 6.1%, other Christian 6.9%, Hindu 2.4%, Muslim 1.6%, other 2%, unspecified or missing 4.8% (2010 census).<ref name=2022Census/>

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References ==

Category:Demographics of Seychelles Category:Society of Seychelles