Seychelles — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Seychelles: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Seychelles is a presidential republic in archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar. It covers 455 sq km. Terrain: Mahe Group is volcanic with a narrow coastal strip and rocky, hilly interior; others are relatively flat coral atolls, or elevated reefs; sits atop the submarine Mascarene Plateau. Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May).
| Capital | Victoria |
|---|---|
| Population | 98,187 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $3.549 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $29,200 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 3.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 0.3% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 63.6% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Exports | $2.375 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $2.437 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 76.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 39.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 58.8% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 29 June 1976 (from the UK) |
| Languages | Seychellois Creole (official) 89.1%, English (official) 5.1%, French (official) 0.7%, other 3.8%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.) |
Seychelles’s GDP is $3.549 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $2.167 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 3.5% (2024 est.). See where Seychelles ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
An uneventful quarter, recorded without embellishment: no breakthrough to celebrate, no setback to mourn.
The longer forces — demographics, trade routes, regional balances — kept doing what they do, and the country rode them steadily.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 0.3%; GDP per capita of $29,200 (PPP) — prosperity far above the world average
- What drags it down: few natural resources to fall back on; only 14% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 86.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 12.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 98.847 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 3.7 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 0.6 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 28,979 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Oil 85.7%, Solar 12.7%, Wind 1.6% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 14.3% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 571.4 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $2.375 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $2.437 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $62.0 million (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | fishing, tourism, beverages |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Patrick Herminie — President. President Patrick HERMINIE (since 26 October 2025)
Seychelles maintains 9 embassies and 0 consulates abroad, hosts 12 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 9 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 0 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 12 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 491 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 16 + 6 heliports (registration prefix S7) |
| Major seaports | Victoria |
Major airports
Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) — Victoria; Praslin Island Airport (PRI) — Praslin Island.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Seychelles.
Historical timeline of Seychelles
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Seychelles — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Seychelles's power score?
Seychelles has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.