# Demographics of Seychelles

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 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.
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 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 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.

## Population
### 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 |

## Vital statistics

| | 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 |

### Life expectancy

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

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.)