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. South Asian and Chinese (1.1% of the population) account for the other permanent inhabitants. About 1,703 (2000) expatriates live and work in Seychelles.
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.
Demographics of Seychelles, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
Population: 81,188 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.4% (male 10,839; female 10,601) 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 26,709; female 28,025) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,622; female 3,392) (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.43% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 16.22 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 6.34 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: -5.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.82 years male: 66.41 years female: 77.4 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Nationality: noun: Seychellois (singular and plural) adjective: Seychelles
