Seychelles at its true size
Seychelles covers 459 km², number 181 of 194 countries by area. Home to 122,730 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 459 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 122,730 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 267 per km² |
| Capital | Victoria |
| Local time in Victoria | |
| Time zone | UTC+4 IANA |
| Currency | Seychellois rupee (SCR) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, French, Seychellois Creole |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Seven seas (open ocean) |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +248 |
| Codes | SC · SYC · 690 |
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Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Seychelles ranks
Among the independent states, in 39 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#179 of 194122,730 people#54 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#33 of 194267 people per km²#5 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#137 of 19246% urban#28 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#104 of 1921.85 births per woman#51 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#90 of 192+1.13% a year#47 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#125 of 19211.0 births per 1,000 people#53 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#102 of 1927.0 deaths per 1,000 people#26 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#116 of 19219.8% under 15#53 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#86 of 1928.7% aged 65 and over#3 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#5 of 192+13.0 per 1,000 people#1 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#122 of 1900.08 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#45 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#75 of 19276.3 years#3 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#93 of 19112.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#50 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#3 of 1786.60 doctors per 1,000 people#1 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#124 of 14514.5% gross enrolment#13 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#53 of 190an index of 0.848#1 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#56 of 185$19,200 a person#1 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#68 of 18488% online#2 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#60 of 184$35,854 a person#1 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#35 of 187+5.8% a year#17 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#156 of 176+0.3% a year#45 of 50 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#98 of 1490.7% under $3.00 a day#45 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#102 of 149a Gini index of 32.1#42 of 47 in Africa
- Foreign investment#17 of 18410.0% of GDP#5 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#13 of 16879.6% of GDP#2 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#102 of 1551.2% of GDP#29 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#64 of 191126 subscriptions per 100 people#10 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#29 of 1857.24 tonnes a person#2 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#29 of 19259% forest#8 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#168 of 1901.9% renewable#53 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#159 of 1919.3 µg/m³#54 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#1 of 19168.1% of the land protected#1 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#186 of 1900.3% of the land arable#53 of 54 in Africa
- Precipitation#20 of 1802,330 mm a year#4 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the Seychelles’s area, lit up on the map →
- Palau0.98×Seychelles and Palau are almost exactly the same size.
- Andorra0.98×Seychelles and Andorra are almost exactly the same size.
- Antigua and Barbuda1.04×Seychelles is 4% larger than Antigua and Barbuda.
- Barbados1.05×Seychelles is 5% larger than Barbados.
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1.18×Seychelles is 18% larger than Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- Grenada1.32×Seychelles is 32% larger than Grenada.
How many times does Seychelles fit into…
- Russia: about 37201 times
- Canada: about 21753 times
- United States: about 21409 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Seychelles shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Morne Seychellois905 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Seychelles. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Seychelles
- How big is Seychelles?
- Seychelles covers 459 km², which makes it number 181 of 194 countries by area. About 122,730 people live there (2025), 267 per km².
- Is Seychelles bigger than Palau?
- Seychelles and Palau are almost exactly the same size. Seychelles: 459 km²; Palau: 466 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Seychelles?
- Seychelles lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Seychelles have land borders?
- No. Seychelles has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.