Seychelles

THE REPUBLIC OF Seychelles, a group of 40 volcanic and 75 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, is located off eastern Africa. Seychelles is an upper-middle-income nation with a relatively high quality of life. However, Seychelles is severely indebted, and debt payments drain away some of its resources. Only 10 percent of the population are now involved in the subsistence agriculture that dominated Seychelles before independence in 1976. Tourism has skyrocketed in recent years, providing over 70 percent of hard currency earnings and employing 30 percent of the labor force. Tuna fishing also boosts the Seychellois economy. Even though foreign investment is welcomed in Seychelles, the government also promotes farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing.

Unlike most of sub-Saharan Africa, Seychelles has no widespread level of poverty. However, poverty does exist at a lower level, and most of the people who are poor are women and children. Seychelles has established a welfare system to assist the elderly, the chronically ill, the physically and mentally disabled, and members of disadvantaged groups. Government programs designed to provide employment for those who need jobs include the Unemployment Care Program, the Youth Training Scheme, and the District Beautification Program.

The Seychellois population of 81,188 enjoys a life expectancy of 71.82 years. Females have a projected life span of 77.4 years compared to 66.41 years for males. The median age of 27.7 is high for the region, and the Seychellois population is older than that of most sub-Saharan countries. Some 26.4 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and 6.2 percent have reached the age of 65. Healthcare is readily available to the Seychellois, and over 80 percent of the population have access to affordable essential drugs.

Infant mortality rates in Seychelles are low. Between 1990 and 2005, infant deaths dropped from 17 deaths per 1,000 live births to 15.53 deaths per 1,000. Mortality rates for children under 5 fell from 21 deaths per 1,000 in 1990 to 16 deaths per 1,000 in 2002. Approximately 10 percent of all babies are born at below normal birth weight, and 5.7 children under the age of 5 are malnourished. Some five percent of Seychellois children suffer from moderate to severe stunting, and two percent experience moderate to severe wasting. These numbers are extremely low for sub-Saharan Africa. The same is true of childhood immunizations, and only one percent of Seychellois children are not immunized against common childhood diseases.

Family planning has become important to the Seychellois, and this fact is reflected in the 1.75 children-per-woman fertility rate of 2005. This number is best understood in comparison with the 1980 fertility rate of 3.8 children per woman. The adolescent fertility rate in [Page 973]Seychelles is 52 out of 1,000 births. Women in Seychelles have easy access to medical facilities, and they receive essential prenatal and neonatal care.

Literacy levels in Seychelles are also high. In 2003, approximately 92 percent of adults over the age of 15 could read and write. Seychelles has free and compulsory education, and most Seychellois children attend school for 14 years. In 2002, all male and female children were able to complete primary school.

...