Demographics of Seychelles

Demographics of Seychelles
Population pyramid of the Seychelles in 2020
Population97,017 (2022 est.)
Growth rate0.64% (2022 est.)
Birth rate12.37 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Net migration rate0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years18.85%
65 and over8.27%
Nationality
NationalitySeychellois
Language
OfficialSeychellois Creole, English, French

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.

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.