Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
The Seychelles at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
16%
of electricity
Food imported
26%
of merchandise imports · ~US$397m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About the Seychelles.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see the Seychelles, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
Six in ten adults are overweight
In 2022, 60.8% of adults in Seychelles were overweight, according to World Bank data drawn from the WHO.
SoberingHealth
Nearly one in ten adults has diabetes
In 2024, 9.3% of adults in Seychelles were living with diabetes, about 7,400 people out of an adult population of 74,500, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Source: International Diabetes Federation, Seychelles member profile · 2024
SoberingHealth
A heroin crisis behind the beaches
Estimated heroin users rose from 1,200 in 2011 to 5,000 to 6,000 in 2019, nearly 10% of the working age population. Afrobarometer says this would give Seychelles the highest national per capita heroin use rate in the world.
SoberingEnvironment
Almost all energy still comes from fossil fuels
In 2022, renewables made up just 1.9% of total final energy consumption in Seychelles, according to World Bank data.
RemarkableNature
The world's largest giant tortoise population
Aldabra Atoll, a World Heritage site since 1982, holds some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population of the reptile, according to IUCN's 2025 assessment. IUCN also rates coral bleaching there a very high threat.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Aldabra Atoll · 2025
RemarkableNature
Home of the largest seed in the plant kingdom
The coco de mer palm produces the largest seed in the plant kingdom. The Vallée de Mai on Praslin, a World Heritage site since 1983, is the world's stronghold for this endemic palm.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve · 2025
RemarkableEconomy
The world's first sovereign blue bond
In October 2018 Seychelles launched the world's first sovereign blue bond, raising US$15 million from investors to support sustainable marine and fisheries projects.
RemarkableEnvironment
A third of its territory is protected
In 2025, 32.6% of Seychelles' land and sea territory was protected, according to World Bank data.
The History of the Seychelles.
Seychelles was uninhabited before Europeans discovered the islands early in the 16th century. After a lengthy struggle, France eventually ceded control of the islands to Great Britain in 1814.
Where the name comes from
Named by France for Jean Moreau de Séchelles, a finance minister. The islands had no permanent population to name them before that. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: the Mahé group is granitic, with a narrow coastal strip and a rocky, hilly interior; the outer islands are flat coral atolls and raised reefs on the Mascarene Plateau. Its high point is Morne Seychellois, 905 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Genuinely uninhabited
Seychelles was uninhabited before Europeans discovered the islands early in the sixteenth century, and they first appear on a Portuguese map of 1502. The first recorded landing came in 1609, during an expedition of the English East India Company, and France took possession of the islands in 1756. The first settlement was founded on Sainte Anne on 27 August 1770.
How it got here
27 August 1770
The Télémaque landed the first settlers on Sainte Anne on 27 August 1770. There were twenty-eight people, fifteen white men, seven enslaved Africans, five Indians and a Black woman named Marie. Britain took possession of the islands in 1811 and France ceded them in 1814 after a lengthy struggle. Slavery was abolished in 1835, and between 1861 and 1874 some 2,816 liberated Africans taken from Arab dhows were brought ashore on Mahé. Seychelles was separated from Mauritius as a crown colony in 1903 and became independent on 29 June 1976.
The timeline
1502
On the map.
The islands first appear on a Portuguese map of 1502, more than a century before any recorded landing. Source
1609
First recorded landing.
An expedition of the English East India Company makes the first recorded landing on the islands. Source
27 August 1770
The first settlers.
On 27 August 1770 the Télémaque brought the first settlers, who made their home on Sainte Anne Island. There were twenty-eight people, fifteen white men, seven enslaved Africans, five Indians and a Black woman named Marie. Source
1811
British rule.
The British take possession of the islands, which are then ruled as a dependency of Mauritius. Source
1835
Abolition.
Abolition of slavery comes into force, freeing 6,521 enslaved people. Between 1861 and 1874, 2,816 liberated Africans taken from Arab dhows were brought ashore on Mahé. Source
1903
A separate colony.
The islands, ruled from Mauritius since 1811, become a crown colony in their own right on 10 November 1903. Source
1976
Independence.
Seychelles becomes independent from Great Britain on 29 June 1976, after French rule from 1756 and British rule from 1811. Source
2020
250 years.
The first settlers reached Seychelles on 27 August 1770 aboard the Telemaque, twenty-eight people in all. The National Museums marked 250 years of settlement in 2020. Source
Seychelles National Museums · National Assembly of Seychelles, History of the National Assembly (archived copy) · National Museum of History, Victoria, Seychelles · Seychelles National Museums, Brief history of Seychelles · Seychelles National Museums, History of slavery · CIA World Factbook, Seychelles background, archived data
Nature and Biodiversity in the Seychelles.
The Seychelles protects about 32.6 per cent of its territorial waters and around 68.1 per cent of its land (World Bank, 2025), having designated 30 per cent of its ocean by 2020, a decade ahead of the global target (The Nature Conservancy). Enforcement is genuine, anchored by the strictly protected Aldabra atoll and Vallee de Mai UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a national marine spatial plan.
Is wild Seychelles protected? 68.1% of the land is, already past the 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Seychelles?
Forest cover58.5%
Terrestrial protected area68.1%
Marine protected area32.6%
122 listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Seychelles · World Bank (WHO/UNICEF JMP), Safely managed drinking water and basic sanitation, Seychelles · CIA World Factbook, Seychelles coastline, archived data
Found only here. Coco de mer palm, Aldabra giant tortoise, Seychelles black parrot, magpie-robin and warbler, jellyfish tree and sooglossid frogs.
The watchlist
ThreatenedSeychelles Owl (Otus insularis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedSphyrna lewini Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray).
ThreatenedYellow Gecko (Ailuronyx trachygaster) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedPhalangacris alluaudi Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedPsychotria silhouettae Listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedCampnosperma seychellarum Listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedGrisollea thomassetii Listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
What is at risk, by group
Mammals · 7
7 mammal species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Birds · 13
13 bird species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Fish · 41
41 fish species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Plants · 61
61 plant species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Seychelles filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park, mapped and named in the open record for Seychelles. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Mont Fleuri, mapped and named in the open record for Seychelles. OpenStreetMap.
National park in English River, mapped and named in the open record for Seychelles. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in Praslin, mapped and named in the open record for Seychelles. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in Praslin, mapped and named in the open record for Seychelles. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Mont Fleuri, mapped and named in the open record for Seychelles. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in the Seychelles.
Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024). La Digue and Praslin face seasonal shortages in the dry season, so supply is genuinely stressed despite near-universal piped access.
64.7% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: Aldabra and the Marine National Parks (Sainte Anne, Curieuse and Aldabra).
What are the rules on Seychelles beaches?
·Tap water: Varies.
✓Plastic rules: Banned plastic bags, cups, plates, cutlery and polystyrene takeaway boxes from 2017 and plastic straws from 2019..
✓Solo travel: rated easy on the record for this destination.
✓Marine protection: 32.6% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge is met.
Named on the open map: Anse Badamier, Anse Banane, Anse Barbarons, Anse Bazarca, Anse Bernik, Anse Bernitier. They are a handful of the many named beaches in the public record for Seychelles, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
99.7%
of people have at least basic sanitation
99.7% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2024, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
How is the sea around Seychelles doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Trade winds, two seasons, neither extreme; reef-safe sunscreen is non-negotiable.
Nearshore
Protected water
32.6% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Aldabra and the Marine National Parks (Sainte Anne, Curieuse and Aldabra)..
The record
Measured
Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024). La Digue and Praslin face seasonal shortages in the dry season, so supply is genuinely stressed despite near-universal piped access.
Seychelles scored 84 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 9th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Marine protected
32.6% of territorial waters
Against the 30x30 target of 30% by 2030 (2025, World Bank / WDPA).
Coastline
491 km
The length of shore exposed to sea-level rise and storm surge (CIA World Factbook).
Safely managed drinking water
64.7%
Share of people with a safe supply at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP).
Sanitation
99.7%
Share with at least a basic service (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP).
Is the tap water safe in Seychelles?
64.7% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP).
When is the best time to visit Seychelles? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
Food and Drink in the Seychelles.
As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports around 90 per cent of what it eats, with only about 10 per cent coming from local producers. Artisanal fish stocks provide around 40 per cent of the protein in the national diet, and near total coral bleaching now threatens them.
Where does the food in Seychelles come from?
26.1% imported
about US$397m a year
On the plate: Breadfruit, cassava, sweet potato, plantain, coconut, mango and other tropical fruit.
3 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$397m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 26.1% of everything the Seychelles buys in from abroad is food, roughly 3 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 2.6% of the economy and 3.4% of the land is agricultural, of which 0.3% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in the Seychelles? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined69%
Diabetes9.3%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 60.8%.
Can the Seychelles feed itself?
0.3%
Arable land
3.4%
Agricultural land
371
Arable acres
2.6%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Tropical fruit through the warmer wet season (December to March); calmer months are best for fishing.
Feeding itself
As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports the large majority of its food, with only a small domestic sector growing fruit, root crops and vegetables. Eating local in practice means fish, breadfruit and tropical fruit rather than a broad home-grown diet.
Certification
The Seychelles has only a very small agricultural sector, and internationally comparable organic farmland data is not published (no FiBL country figure). Some family plots and agroecology initiatives use low-input methods, but the certified organic area is negligible in scale.
Water for crops
Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024). La Digue and Praslin face seasonal shortages in the dry season, so supply is genuinely stressed despite near-universal piped access.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certified-organic farmland is not separately reported for the Seychelles, and that is a certification gap rather than proof nothing is grown cleanly. What the official land record does show: 3.4% of the country is agricultural land and 0.3% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
CoconutsVegetablesBananasFruitsTomatoesTropical fruitsCassava
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Seychelles are coconuts, bananas and tomatoes (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market in Victoria, Mahé, open Monday to Friday 7:00 to 16:00 and Saturday 7:00 to 13:00, with fresh fruit, vegetables and fish sold on small stands in the surrounding streets; the Fruit and Fish Market at Côte d'Or on Praslin; and the Fruit and Fish Market at La Passe on La Digue. We have not checked these ourselves, and hours can change.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: The Maharajas, Indian restaurant on Eden Island near Victoria: keeps a separate vegan menu on request; Wildflour Cafe, cafe in the Botanical Gardens, Mont Fleuri, Victoria: vegan falafel salad or burger and ice cream; The City Eats, local eatery in Victoria: wraps, salads and warm meals with vegan dishes; Del Place, Creole restaurant at Port Glaud: vegan aubergine fritters, salads and vegetable curry; Trader Vic's Seychelles, restaurant at Bel Ombre: separate vegan menu with tofu pad Thai and cauliflower ceviche; Mahek, Indian restaurant at Beau Vallon: vegetarian dishes that can be made vegan. None is fully vegan; all serve meat too. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in the Seychelles?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
RiceBreadfruitCassavaSweet potatoPlantainCoconutMango
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · HappyCow, Mahe vegan and vegetarian listings · SeyVillas, Seychelles travel guide: Shopping · Seychelles News Agency via SBC, Reliant on others to eat, Seychelles refines food security plan ahead of UN summit (2021) · Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture of Seychelles, statement to the FAO Conference 2017
Climate and Energy in the Seychelles.
The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind. Per-person emissions are moderate at about 5 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting a small, tourism-based high-income economy rather than heavy industry. The government targets 15 per cent renewables by 2030 and has become a global leader in ocean climate policy, pioneering a debt-for-nature swap and blue bonds to protect nearly a third of its waters. The energy transition itself, however, remains at an early stage.
What powers the Seychelles?
Renewable 15.9%Fossil 84.1%
The Public Utilities Corporation, a statutory body set up under the Public Utilities Corporation Act, supplies electricity, water and sewerage, runs all the utility scale power stations and manages the transmission and distribution networks. A member of the National Assembly said in 2023 that it had long held a monopoly over producing and distributing electricity. The Electricity Act passed that March requires every participant in generation, transmission, distribution and sale to hold a licence, and opens the way for private producers to sell power to PUC. The Utilities Regulatory Commission, created by the URC Act 2023, replaced the Energy Commission and now regulates tariffs and issues licences for electricity, water and sewerage. The World Bank says end user tariffs average about US$0.28 per kWh, among the highest in Africa, because most power comes from imported fuel.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
7.24 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
12.87 tonnes
The grid
The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind. Per-person emissions are moderate at about 5 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting a small, tourism-based high-income economy rather than heavy industry.
Pollution
Air is among the cleanest measured, with an annual mean PM2.5 of about 4.96 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022). The country banned plastic bags, plastic cups, plates and cutlery and polystyrene takeaway boxes from 2017 and plastic straws from 2019, though drifting ocean plastic still accumulates on remote atolls such as Aldabra.
Water stress
Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024). La Digue and Praslin face seasonal shortages in the dry season, so supply is genuinely stressed despite near-universal piped access.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.84.1%
2Industry Over-built luxury resort enclaves and industrial tuna transhipment around Port Victoria..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.4.96
4On the record Air is among the cleanest measured, with an annual mean PM2.5 of about 4.96 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022).
What has the Seychelles promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today4.5% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target68.1% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target32.6% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in policy document. Measured against it, 4.5% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 95.5% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year7.24 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.15 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.91 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.13 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.97 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.3 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to the Seychelles emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In 2016 Seychelles agreed a debt swap in which The Nature Conservancy raised US$15.2 million in impact loans and US$5 million in grants to buy back US$21.6 million of its debt. The Nature Conservancy calls it the first ever climate adaptation debt restructuring with a strong marine conservation component. In return Seychelles committed to protect 30 per cent of its ocean area, up from less than 1 per cent, and in February 2018 it designated two large protected zones, around the Aldabra group and the Amirantes. The repayments are managed by the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust. In October 2018 Seychelles launched what the government calls the world's first sovereign blue bond, raising US$15 million from international investors for marine and fisheries projects, backed by a US$5 million World Bank guarantee and a US$5 million concessional GEF loan.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · World Bank, Seychelles renewable energy project information document (2024) · Seychelles Nation, National Assembly approves new law to govern electricity sector · The Nature Conservancy, Ocean protection · NPR via KAXE, Seychelles finds a novel way to swap its debt for marine protections · State House Seychelles, Seychelles launches world's first sovereign blue bond · GEF, Seychelles financial innovation buoys ocean health
AI and Data Centres in the Seychelles.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in the Seychelles.
Data centres
0
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
15.9 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in the Seychelles?
Almost everything a machine here consumes is burned fossil fuel.
Renewable 15.9%Fossil 84.1%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 15.9% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. The Seychelles has 0 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, and no internet exchange is registered.
Where the cables land. 2 landing points · Carana, Victoria
Economy and Tourism in the Seychelles.
22% residents to 78% visitors across a year. 428,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 122,730 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Seychelles
428k
Visitors a year
3.5
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is the Seychelles?· for every $100 the Seychelles earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2001 peak
$ 200The worst year on the IMF record. The Seychelles owed $200 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2001signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 55What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 47The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $47 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 the Seychelles earns in a year, it owes $55 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in the Seychelles?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 428,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 122,730 residents, 3.5 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in the Seychelles is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 26.1% of everything the Seychelles imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, coconuts, vegetables, bananas, fruits, tomatoes, tropical fruits, cassava, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
95.5% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power mostly leave the Seychelles. Choosing locally grown food is the part of that a visitor can actually control.
less than you think6
Pay the bank first
The Seychelles owes $55 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$55 per $1007
No plan B
46.2% of everything the Seychelles sells abroad is prepared meat and fish (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
46.2% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 18.4% of everything the Seychelles makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
18.4% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 3.15 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.15 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$2 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$2bnGDPUS$2.4bn
Agriculture, share of GDP2.6%
Visitors a year124,500
Visitors per resident1
Residents~122,730
Agriculture
Farming is 2.6% of the economy. As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports the large majority of its food, with only a small domestic sector growing fruit, root crops and vegetables.
Natural materials
Traditional craft uses coconut coir, palm thatch and woven vacoa (screwpine) leaves for baskets and hats, and these skills survive at a small scale. Everyday life, however, is fairly import and plastic dependent, so the natural-materials tradition is present rather than dominant.
Energy
The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind. Per-person emissions are moderate at about 5 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting a small, tourism-based high-income economy rather than heavy industry.
Who owns the biggest hotels in the Seychelles?
By rooms · company records and press.
FS Seychelles Desroches · ~71 roomsCorporatenot published
Visitors, over time
2015296k
2016333k
2017382k
2018405k
2019428k
2020124k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.23 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 18.4% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting the Seychelles, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, coconuts, vegetables, bananas, fruits, tomatoes, tropical fruits and cassava, over an imported menu.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Ferries link Mahe, Praslin and La Digue; buses run on Mahe and Praslin; bicycles suit car-light La Digue.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
The Seychelles protects a third of its ocean and shelters extraordinary endemic species, but relies on imported food and stressed island water supplies.
Best time: The calmer, drier and cooler transition months.
Getting around
Ferries link Mahe, Praslin and La Digue; buses run on Mahe and Praslin; bicycles suit car-light La Digue.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is coconuts, vegetables, bananas, fruits, tomatoes, tropical fruits and cassava. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards widely accepted; SCR. Turtles need distance, not selfies.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the place to stay
FS Seychelles DesrochesCorporate · 71 rooms
The one property listed here does not publish who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in the Seychelles.
How well is the Seychelles actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, the Seychelles scores 68 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Seychelles really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Ferries link Mahe, Praslin and La Digue; buses run on Mahe and Praslin; bicycles suit car-light La Digue.
94.0%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 4.5% of GDP and 10.7% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 70.8% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023 to 2025).
Made in the Seychelles.
Traditional craft uses coconut coir, palm thatch and woven vacoa (screwpine) leaves for baskets and hats, and these skills survive at a small scale. Everyday life, however, is fairly import and plastic dependent, so the natural-materials tradition is present rather than dominant. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Seychelles actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Seychelles sells the world is prepared meat and fish, 46.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$0.25 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are mineral fuels and oils at 35.4%, iron and steel at 7.1%, fish and seafood at 5.4%, animal feed residues at 1.4%.
Made now · natural materials
Traditional craft uses coconut coir
Worked in Seychelles from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Palm thatch
Worked in Seychelles from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Woven vacoa (screwpine) leaves for baskets
Worked in Seychelles from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Hats
Worked in Seychelles from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Coir and palm weaving
Worked in Seychelles from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
However
Worked in Seychelles from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 5.9% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Seychelles imported US$0.09 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 5.9% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 5.0% of imports
Vehicles
Seychelles imported US$0.07 billion of vehicles in 2023, 5.0% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.4% of imports
Iron and steel articles
Seychelles imported US$0.06 billion of iron and steel articles in 2023, 4.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 3.1% of imports
Ships and boats
Seychelles imported US$0.05 billion of ships and boats in 2023, 3.1% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. the Seychelles produces about US$2 billion a year, which is roughly US$19,449 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 2.6% of that, while food is 26.1% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in the Seychelles.
Spontaneously in the community and at social gatherings and cultural events
Moutya
Brought to Seychelles by enslaved Africans, moutya is danced around a bonfire to a goat-hide drum, with men calling out themes and women replying. It is still performed in the community and at cultural events, and UNESCO inscribed it in 2021.
Kanmtole dancing
A set of ballroom dances inherited from France that carries the memory of dances at the court of Louis XIV. The Ministry of Culture has run traditional dance classes since 2006.
Kreol language and storytelling
Kreol, the common language of about 99 per cent of Seychellois, has been an official language since 1978. Its folktales star the trickster Soungoula, the best-known character in Seychelles storytelling and part of its African heritage.
Does Seychelles protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Seychellois Creole culture carries strong African and Malagasy ancestral roots. The moutya, a hypnotic drum dance born among enslaved people as a form of gathering and quiet resistance and once held after dark, is recognised by UNESCO and has been revived as a national art form. The lively sega and the European-influenced kanmtole are still danced at celebrations.
Who it belongs to. Creole culture is very much alive in the Kreol language, music and cuisine, and there is a genuine guesthouse and small-operator sector. Even so, the tourism economy is heavily weighted towards foreign-owned luxury resorts, so a large share of value leaves local hands.
Only here. Coco de mer, the largest seed in the plant kingdom, which grows wild only in the Seychelles (Vallee de Mai, Praslin)..
The Future of the Seychelles.
Three futures for the Seychelles, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Museum of Natural History (Victoria), Museum Road (Praslin), Seychelles National Museum Secretariat (Victoria), National Museum of History (Victoria), Lazare Souvenir Museum Gallery. OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 71.8% to 58.5% across 29 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 4.52 t to 7.24 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 127k to 124k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 42.1% to 68.1% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 8.7% to 3.37% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 46.9% to 45.5% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 10.2 µg/m³ to 9.26 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 43.1% to 60.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 92.2% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 7,181 to 19,449 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 75.3k to 123k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 3% to 1.9% across 27 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 72.5 yrs to 76.3 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 23 kg/ha to 287 kg/ha across 25 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 53.1% to 54.5% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 60.7 $/m3 to 164 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 4.61% to 4.48% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 330 km2 to 265 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 0.01 to 0.01 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 0.01 to 0.02 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 0.09 to 0.37 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 0.15 to 0.64 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.01 to 0.0 MtCO2e across 14 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 0.05 to 0.2 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, water at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift water
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Seychelles's record. Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024).
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift food and farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Seychelles's record. As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports the large majority of its food, with only a small domestic sector growing fruit, root crops and vegetables.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift energy
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Seychelles's record. The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in the Seychelles.
Who is in charge of Seychelles now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Patrick Herminie
President
Patrick Herminie is the head of government of Seychelles, in office since 26 October 2025. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 70.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 69.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 72.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 72.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 86.1 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 82.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 68.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 68.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 60.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 62.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Patrick HerminiePresident
National AssemblyLegislature, unicameral
Last election27 September 2025
Constitution1993, as revised to 2025
Government typepresidential republic
Seychelles national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About the Seychelles.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Seychelles sustainable?
Seychelles scores 53 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. The Seychelles protects a third of its ocean and shelters extraordinary endemic species, but relies on imported food and stressed island water supplies.
Is the water in Seychelles safe and plentiful?
Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024). La Digue and Praslin face seasonal shortages in the dry season, so supply is genuinely stressed despite near-universal piped access.
Can Seychelles feed itself?
As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports the large majority of its food, with only a small domestic sector growing fruit, root crops and vegetables. Eating local in practice means fish, breadfruit and tropical fruit rather than a broad home-grown diet.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Seychelles?
Creole cuisine is built around fish, but locally available breadfruit, cassava, sweet potato, plantain, coconut and tropical fruit make plant eating workable, and tourist areas cater for vegetarians. Choice narrows away from the main islands and much fresh produce is imported.
How much of Seychelles is actually protected?
The Seychelles protects about 32.6 per cent of its territorial waters and around 68.1 per cent of its land (World Bank, 2025), having designated 30 per cent of its ocean by 2020, a decade ahead of the global target (The Nature Conservancy). Enforcement is genuine, anchored by the strictly protected Aldabra atoll and Vallee de Mai UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a national marine spatial plan.
What wildlife is left in Seychelles?
The islands carry exceptional endemism, including the Aldabra giant tortoise, the coco de mer palm, endemic birds such as the Seychelles black parrot, magpie-robin and warbler, the jellyfish tree and unique sooglossid frogs, with 122 threatened species recorded (IUCN via World Bank, 2022). Island rewilding has pulled species like the magpie-robin back from the brink of extinction.
Is Seychelles on clean energy?
The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind. Per-person emissions are moderate at about 5 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting a small, tourism-based high-income economy rather than heavy industry. The government targets 15 per cent renewables by 2030 and has become a global leader in ocean climate policy, pioneering a debt-for-nature swap and blue bonds to protect nearly a third of its waters.
How polluted is Seychelles?
Air is among the cleanest measured, with an annual mean PM2.5 of about 4.96 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022). The country banned plastic bags, plastic cups, plates and cutlery and polystyrene takeaway boxes from 2017 and plastic straws from 2019, though drifting ocean plastic still accumulates on remote atolls such as Aldabra.
Does recycling work in Seychelles?
Formal municipal recycling is limited and most waste goes to the Providence landfill on Mahe, but a beverage-container deposit and refund scheme recovers PET, aluminium and glass at reasonable rates. Capacity and separation infrastructure remain constrained by the country's small scale.
Is the farming in Seychelles organic?
The Seychelles has only a very small agricultural sector, and internationally comparable organic farmland data is not published (no FiBL country figure). Some family plots and agroecology initiatives use low-input methods, but the certified organic area is negligible in scale.
Are there natural materials and craft in Seychelles?
Traditional craft uses coconut coir, palm thatch and woven vacoa (screwpine) leaves for baskets and hats, and these skills survive at a small scale. Everyday life, however, is fairly import and plastic dependent, so the natural-materials tradition is present rather than dominant.
Is there living culture in Seychelles?
Creole culture is very much alive in the Kreol language, music and cuisine, and there is a genuine guesthouse and small-operator sector. Even so, the tourism economy is heavily weighted towards foreign-owned luxury resorts, so a large share of value leaves local hands.
What heritage does Seychelles keep alive?
Seychellois Creole culture carries strong African and Malagasy ancestral roots. The moutya, a hypnotic drum dance born among enslaved people as a form of gathering and quiet resistance and once held after dark, is recognised by UNESCO and has been revived as a national art form. The lively sega and the European-influenced kanmtole are still danced at celebrations.
So is the Seychelles actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 68.1%, sea protected at 32.6%.
What is not: renewable electricity at 4.5% against a 100% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · World Bank, World Development Indicators, Seychelles (population, protected land, renewable electricity, CO2 per capita, NCD deaths) · CIA World Factbook, Seychelles (geography and climate), archived data
How the Seychelles Ranks, region and world.
Where Seychelles sits on the Eco Index, against its Africa neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Seychelles compare in Africa?
1Ethiopia70
2Zambia70
3Uganda65
4Tanzania65
5Namibia65
Scored Africa destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Seychelles sits 71 of 77 at 53/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Seychelles particularly good at?
✓ Conservation, scored 5/5. The Seychelles protects about 32.6 per cent of its territorial waters and around 68.1 per cent of its land (World Bank, 2025), having designated 30 per cent of its ocean by 2020, a decade ahead of the global target (The Nature Conservancy). Enforcement is genuine, anchored by the strictly protected Aldabra atoll and Vallee de Mai UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a national marine spatial plan.
✓ Wildlife, scored 4/5. The islands carry exceptional endemism, including the Aldabra giant tortoise, the coco de mer palm, endemic birds such as the Seychelles black parrot, magpie-robin and warbler, the jellyfish tree and unique sooglossid frogs, with 122 threatened species recorded (IUCN via World Bank, 2022). Island rewilding has pulled species like the magpie-robin back from the brink of extinction.
✓ Pollution, scored 4/5. Air is among the cleanest measured, with an annual mean PM2.5 of about 4.96 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022). The country banned plastic bags, plastic cups, plates and cutlery and polystyrene takeaway boxes from 2017 and plastic straws from 2019, though drifting ocean plastic still accumulates on remote atolls such as Aldabra.
Where does Seychelles score worst?
✕ Water, scored 1/5. Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024). La Digue and Praslin face seasonal shortages in the dry season, so supply is genuinely stressed despite near-universal piped access.
✕ Food and farming, scored 1/5. As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports the large majority of its food, with only a small domestic sector growing fruit, root crops and vegetables. Eating local in practice means fish, breadfruit and tropical fruit rather than a broad home-grown diet.
✕ Energy, scored 1/5. The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind. Per-person emissions are moderate at about 5 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting a small, tourism-based high-income economy rather than heavy industry. The government targets 15 per cent renewables by 2030 and has become a global leader in ocean climate policy, pioneering a debt-for-nature swap and blue bonds to protect nearly a third of its waters. The energy transition itself, however, remains at an early stage.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Water, 1/5
Fresh water comes from rainfall catchment, a few small rivers and reservoirs on Mahe, and increasingly from desalination, and only about 64.7 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024).
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Seychelles's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Food and farming, 1/5
As a small, remote archipelago the Seychelles imports the large majority of its food, with only a small domestic sector growing fruit, root crops and vegetables. Eating local in practice means fish, breadfruit and tropical fruit rather than a broad home-grown diet.
Energy, 1/5
The Seychelles runs its electricity almost entirely on imported diesel and heavy fuel oil, with low-carbon sources supplying only around 14 per cent, mostly solar with a little wind.
The Seychelles Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Seychelles, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Seychelles
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
58.5
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
68.1
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
32.6
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
4.5
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
7.2 tonnes (2024)
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
122
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
72.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
68.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
68.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
86.1 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
70.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
50.0 / 100 · 43 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 43 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
53.6 / 100 · 37 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 37 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
55.5 / 100 · 42 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 42 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
68.7 / 100 · 27 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 27 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
73.3 / 100 · 57 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 57 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
50.2 / 100 · 15 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 15 of 111 countries assessed.
How the Seychelles Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 76 sources across 27 institutions
World Bank18 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2019 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2010 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2008 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Seychelles, The Seychelles protects about 32.6 per cent of its territorial waters and around 68.1 per cent of its land (Wo check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Seychelles corroboration check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters), Seychelles corroboration check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
GBIF occurrence records for Seychelles12 FIGURES
- birds assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- birds assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
- birds assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
- turtles assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (turtle). check
- turtles assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
- sharks and rays assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray). check
- sharks and rays assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
- sharks and rays assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
- squamate reptiles assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (reptile). check
- squamate reptiles assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
- insects assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Seychelles in GBIF occurrence data (insect). check
- insects assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List corroboration check
Seychelles Islands Foundation6 FIGURES
- national protected-area and wildlife authority check
- Aldabra Atoll, Enforcement is genuine, anchored by the strictly protected Aldabra atoll and Vallee de Mai UNESCO World Herita check
- Aldabra Atoll corroboration check
- Aldabra Atoll corroboration check
- Aldabra Atoll corroboration check
- Aldabra Atoll corroboration check
Republic of Seychelles5 FIGURES
- Supplement to Official Gazette, 30 June 2017: S.I. 38 of 2017, Environment Protection (Restriction on importation, distribution and sale of Plastic Utensils and Polystyrene Boxes) Regulations 2017, The country banned plastic bags, plastic cups, plates and cutlery and polystyrene takeaway boxes from 2017 and check
- Supplement to Official Gazette, 30 June 2017: S.I. 38 of 2017, Environment Protection (Restriction on importation, distribution and sale of Plastic Utensils and Polystyrene Boxes) Regulations 2017 corroboration check
- Supplement to Official Gazette, 30 June 2017: S.I. 38 of 2017, Environment Protection (Restriction on importation, distribution and sale of Plastic Utensils and Polystyrene Boxes) Regulations 2017 corroboration check
- Supplement to Official Gazette, 30 June 2017: S.I. 38 of 2017, Environment Protection (Restriction on importation, distribution and sale of Plastic Utensils and Polystyrene Boxes) Regulations 2017 corroboration check
- Supplement to Official Gazette, 30 June 2017: S.I. 37 of 2017, Environment Protection (Restriction on manufacturing, importation, distribution and sale of Plastic Bags) Regulations 2017 corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics4 FIGURES
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Seychelles, Public spending on education runs at 4.5% of GDP and 10.7% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Seychelles corroboration check
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Seychelles corroboration check
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Seychelles corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Seychelles, 2025 (52.8%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Seychelles, 2025 (71.9%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Seychelles, 2025 (98.9%), country-reported check
FAO3 FIGURES
- FAOSTAT, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL), full normalised dataset, updated 31 December 2025, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Seychelles are coconuts, bananas and tomatoes (FAO, FAOSTAT crop produc check
- FAOSTAT, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL), full normalised dataset, updated 31 December 2025 corroboration check
- FAOSTAT, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL), full normalised dataset, updated 31 December 2025 corroboration check
Penda Choppy3 FIGURES
- 'A Case-Study of Seychelles' Slave Routes Through its Folktales', Seychelles Research Journal, Volume 8, Number 1, February 2026, The Telemaque landed the first settlers on Sainte Anne on 27 August 1770: fifteen white settlers together with check
- 'A Case-Study of Seychelles' Slave Routes Through its Folktales', Seychelles Research Journal, Volume 8, Number 1, February 2026 corroboration check
- 'A Case-Study of Seychelles' Slave Routes Through its Folktales', Seychelles Research Journal, Volume 8, Number 1, February 2026 corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
UNESCO2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Seychelles 1993 (rev. 2025) check
Ember1 FIGURE
- Low Carbon Power, Seychelles electricity mix, 2024 check
Government of Seychelles1 FIGURE
- single-use plastic bans (bags, utensils and polystyrene 2017; straws 2019)
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Seychelles elections and chambers check
IUCN Red List1 FIGURE
- World Bank, threatened species (mammals, birds, fishes, higher plants), 2022 check
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- Seychelles electricity generation mix, 2023 check
National Bureau of Statistics1 FIGURE
- Seychelles, national statistical authority check
Other published sources1 FIGURE
- Only Psychotria silhouettae is still Critically Endangered (2018). Campnosperma seychellarum and Grisollea thomassetii were both reassessed in 2025 and downlisted to Endangered, so the shared line must say threatened, not Critically Endangered. check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 country profile: Seychelles, 2024 check
The Nature Conservancy1 FIGURE
- Seychelles designates 30% of its ocean as protected, 2020 check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UN Statistics Division, Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Seychelles, 2024 (1.7%), modelled estimate check
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage1 FIGURE
- Moutya, 2021 check
UNESCO World Heritage1 FIGURE
- Aldabra Atoll and Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve check
University of Chicago EPIC1 FIGURE
- Air Quality Life Index, annual mean PM2.5 check