Analysis Africa

Seychelles Explained 2026

By Samuel Ncube · October 29, 2026 · 9 min read

SEYCHELLES · WHO IT IS

Key Facts

Place A chain of granite and coral islands in the western Indian Ocean; the capital, Victoria, is on Mahé, home to 87.8% of residents.
People About 123,000 residents in 2025; Creole is the first language at home for 85% of people, and 70% are Roman Catholic.
Government President Patrick Herminie, a doctor and former speaker of parliament, took office on 26 October 2025; Vice-President Sebastien Pillay chairs Cabinet meetings.
Money The economy produced US$2.39 billion in 2025, about US$19,400 per person; inflation was 1.22% in September 2026 and unemployment 3.2% in the second quarter.
Visitors 297,672 visitors arrived from 1 January to 25 October 2026, down 6.6% on 2025; arrivals from the United States fell 19.5% to 9,294.

Seychelles explained in one read: this Indian Ocean island nation has about 123,000 residents and earns about US$19,400 per person. This guide covers its geography, people, government, economy and daily life, with figures as of October 2026.

A palm tree leans over granite boulders and pale sand on a beach at Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue, with turquoise sea beyond — Granite boulders, white sand and clear water at Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue island. (Photo: NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

RT

Ask Rio Times

17 years of Latin America reporting, on demand.

Open the full Ask Rio Times →

Where Seychelles Is and What It Looks Like

Seychelles explained starts with its shape: an island country with a granite inner group and many low coral islands farther out. The 2022 census used a land area of 429 square kilometres (166 square miles).

The Constitution lists the islands in groups, from granite Mahé, Praslin and La Digue to coral groups such as Aldabra. Mahé and its small satellites hold 87.8% of the people, and the capital, Victoria, sits on Mahé.

Praslin and its satellites hold 7.7% of residents, La Digue and the inner islands 3.5%, and the far outer islands only 1.0%. That makes the country very crowded on a few shores, at 786 people per square kilometre in 2022, and almost empty elsewhere.

Its Indian Ocean island neighbours appear in Madagascar Neighbours at a Glance and Mauritius Exports Hit US$198 Million. Seychelles is also part of our wider Africa coverage.

Mahé: the largest island by population and home to the capital, Victoria.
Praslin: Seychelles’ second-largest island, where the current president was born.
Creole: the native language of most Seychellois, one of three national languages with English and French.
Seychelles rupee (SCR): the national currency, about 14.41 to the US dollar on 29 October 2026.
Census: the national head count, last run in 2022 by the National Bureau of Statistics, the official statistics office.

The People and Their Languages

The 2022 census counted 102,612 people, of whom about 83,000 were Seychellois citizens and about 20,000 (19.4%) were foreign residents. Foreign residents were only 8.6% of the total at the 2010 census, so their share has more than doubled.

Indian nationals were the largest foreign group at 46.4%, then Sri Lankans (9.3%), Bangladeshis (5.8%), Malagasy (5.6%) and Kenyans (5.5%). Of all foreign residents, 94.1% were working, so most came as workers.

Creole is the first language at home for 85% of people, English for 8% and French for 0.5%. Among citizens alone, 93.7% speak Creole first.

Seychellois Creole is the native language of most citizens, followed by English and French. Article 4 of the Constitution names all three as national languages.

Faith, Age and Family Life

The 2022 census found 70% of people Roman Catholic, 12% in other Christian churches, 6% Anglican, 6% Hindu and 3% Muslim. The Catholic share fell by 10.2 percentage points from 2010, while Hindu and other Christian shares each rose by 3.7 points.

The median age was 35 in 2022, up from 31 in 2010, so the population is ageing steadily. The statistics office projects about 127,000 residents in 2026 and 1.97 children per woman, below the 2.1 that keeps a population steady.

Life expectancy in 2026 is projected at 79.8 years for women and 72.4 years for men. Nine in ten children lived with their biological mother in 2022, but only 44% lived with both parents.

How Seychelles Is Governed

Seychelles is a sovereign democratic republic under a Constitution adopted in 1993. The President is head of state and government, elected for five years and limited to two terms.

The National Assembly, the parliament, has one elected member per electoral area plus up to 10 chosen by proportional representation. A party that wins at least 10% of votes may nominate one such member for every 10% it polls.

President Patrick Herminie, born on Praslin in 1963, trained as a doctor in Prague and was sworn in on 26 October 2025. He was speaker of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2016 and was elected president of the United Seychelles party in 2021.

On 23 September 2026 President Herminie told the UN General Assembly that small island states need climate finance and debt relief. Our article Seychelles UN Speech Says Small Islands Should Not Pay for Distant Wars has the details.

The Main Office Holders in October 2026

Vice-President Sebastien Pillay chaired the Cabinet meeting of 28 October 2026, which approved a Digital and AI Strategy for 2026 to 2031. He also holds the portfolios for information technology, lands and housing.

Pierre Laporte is Minister for Finance, Economic Planning, Trade and Investment, and Barry Faure is Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. Laporte attended the World Bank Group Annual Meetings in October 2026, and Faure the UN General Assembly in September 2026.

James Camille is Minister for Homeland Security, in office at a police graduation on 9 October 2026. Major General Michael Rosette is Chief of Defence Forces, in office at a swearing-in on 12 October 2026.

Sarah Lloyd was named the next Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles and takes office on 1 November 2026. The central bank sets interest rates, and on 29 October 2026 its website showed a policy rate of 1.75%.

The silver clock tower at a street junction in Victoria, Seychelles, with shops, parked cars and green hills behind — The clock tower in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, on the island of Mahé. (Photo: Marion Schneider and Christoph Aistleitner, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

How the Economy Earns Its Living

The World Bank, the global development lender, puts 2025 output at US$2.39 billion, about US$19,400 per person, with real growth of 5.8%. Output in the second quarter of 2026 was SCR 8.23 billion (about US$571 million) at current prices.

Jobs show where the money comes from. In the second quarter of 2026 public administration employed 14.4% of workers, hotels and restaurants 13.9%, and shops and trade 11.3%.

Farming and fishing employed 2.1% of workers and factories 4.2%. Our guide How Seychelles Lives on Tourism and Tuna covers the two main earners in more detail.

Debt, Reserves and Building Land

Central government gross debt stood at SCR 18.66 billion (about US$1.30 billion) at the end of June 2026. Official foreign reserves were SCR 13.10 billion (about US$909 million) at the end of September 2026.

On 15 October 2026 the Presidential Economic Advisory Council discussed whether the 50%-of-GDP debt target limits a new hospital, port or airport. The council, chaired by the vice-president, heard that several such projects are not yet in the medium-term budget plan.

On 9 October 2026 President Herminie launched the fourth phase of the East Coast Project. It will reclaim 55 hectares from the sea off Mahé.

Plans include more than 1,800 houses, schools and sports facilities, with sand filling expected to start in January 2027. The central bank’s incoming governor says she will focus on deepening the financial services sector.

Visitors, Hotels and Where Tourists Come From

From 1 January to 25 October 2026, 297,672 visitors arrived, 6.6% fewer than the 318,724 in the same period of 2025. The 2025 figure was itself 11.6% above 2024, so the drop follows a strong year.

Germany sent 39,482 visitors (down 8.4%), Russia 36,899 (up 29.2%), France 32,859 (down 6.6%) and the United Arab Emirates 16,157 (down 3.2%). Italy fell 20.2% to 14,814, while South Africa rose 12.9% to 8,642.

In September 2026, 80.5% of visitors came for a holiday and stayed 9 nights on average. Hotels took 79.9% of them, and 64.8% stayed on Mahé and 18.4% on Praslin.

Waves roll onto the pale sand of Anse Lazio beach on Praslin, Seychelles, with swimmers and green forest on the headland — Anse Lazio, a beach on Praslin, Seychelles’ second-largest island. (Photo: Radosław Botev, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Daily Life, Work and Prices

Seychelles explained in daily terms starts with calm prices: consumer prices rose 1.22% in the year to September 2026. Core inflation, which leaves out fresh fish, electricity and fuel, was 1.24%.

In the second quarter of 2026, 63.6% of people aged 15 and over had a job and unemployment was 3.2%. Youth unemployment rose to 14.1% from 9.7% a year earlier, the weakest spot in the labour market.

Fish prices rose 6.07% over the year, against 0.32% for other food and 1.28% for non-food items. Women hold 67% of public administration jobs and 51% of hotel and restaurant jobs.

Nature, Tortoises and Protected Islands

Aldabra Atoll, more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south-west of Mahé, is home to the world’s largest population of giant tortoises. It became a World Heritage Site of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, in 1982.

The Seychelles Islands Foundation, a public trust created in 1979, manages Aldabra and allows visits only with its approval. It also protects the Vallée de Mai, the second World Heritage Site, whose entrance fees help pay for Aldabra.

A large Aldabra giant tortoise stretches its neck and opens its mouth in front of a red wall on Curieuse Island, Seychelles — An Aldabra giant tortoise on Curieuse Island, off Praslin. The species is named after Aldabra Atoll. (Photo: NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What It Means for US Readers

Seychelles explained for Americans: a small market. Arrivals from the United States were 9,294 between 1 January and 25 October 2026, down 19.5% from 11,541, or 2.3% of visitors.

Seychelles has low inflation, but hotels and restaurants employ 13.9% of workers, so a fall in visitors matters. Check current US State Department travel advice and entry rules before booking, because this guide does not cover visas.

What Is Not Known

Counts differ: 102,612 residents in the 2022 census, 119,878 for 2022 in World Bank data, and about 127,000 projected for 2026. The size of the resident population is therefore a range, not one number.

Arrivals are down 6.6% so far in 2026, and the next weekly count is due on 5 November 2026. Whether the 50% debt target will be relaxed is also open, because the advisory council only discussed it on 15 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Seychelles?

Seychelles explained in short: an island country in the western Indian Ocean. Its capital, Victoria, is on Mahé, the main island, which holds 87.8% of the population.

How many people live in Seychelles?

The World Bank put the population at about 123,000 in 2025, and the 2022 census counted 102,612. About one in five census residents was a foreign citizen.

What languages do people speak in Seychelles?

Creole, English and French are the three national languages. Creole is the first language at home for 85% of people, English for 8% and French for 0.5%.

Who runs Seychelles in 2026?

President Patrick Herminie has led the country since 26 October 2025. Vice-President Sebastien Pillay chairs Cabinet meetings and holds the lands and housing portfolio.

What is the economy of Seychelles based on?

Seychelles explained in jobs: in the second quarter of 2026 public administration employed 14.4% of workers, hotels and restaurants 13.9% and trade 11.3%.

Is Seychelles expensive to live in?

Prices rose only 1.22% in the year to September 2026. Income per person was about US$19,400 in 2025.

The Big Picture

Africa: The New Scramble — why the world’s powers are competing for the continent

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief