About 90% of the Seychellois people live on Mahe Island. Most others 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 the African slaves brought to the Seychelles in the 19th century by the British, who freed them from slave ships on the East African coast. Indians and Chinese (1.1% of the population) account for the other permanent inhabitants. About 1,703 (2000) expatriates live and work in Seychelles. Of those, about 35 are from the United States.
Seychelles culture is a mixture of French and African (Creole) influences. Creole is the native language of 94% of the people, however, English and French are commonly used. English remains the language of government and commerce.
About 88% 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.
Population: 79,326 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
29% (male 11,499; female 11,338)
15-64 years:
65% (male 25,143; female 26,386)
65 years and over:
6% (male 1,674; female 3,286) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.49% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 17.99 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.51 male(s)/female
total population:
0.93 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.41 years
male:
64.87 years
female:
76.12 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.85 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective:
Seychelles
Ethnic groups: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
58%
male:
56%
female:
60% (1971 est.)
- See also : Seychelles
