Seychelles: Increasing Cost of Living Tops Youth Concerns in Seychelles

30 January 2026
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Anne Okello

More than one in five young citizens have considered emigrating, mostly in hopes of finding better job opportunities.

Key findings

  • Seychellois youth (aged 18-35) have more education than their elders. Almost all (98%) have secondary or post-secondary qualifications, compared to 67% among the elderly.
  • But young people are also more likely to be unemployed: About one in 10 (9%) say they are looking for work, compared to 2%-3% of older cohorts.
  • In addition to general economic conditions, young Seychellois cite a lack of experience required by employers, inadequate training, and an aversion to certain types of work as major barriers to youth employment.
  • Regarding job preferences, nearly half (49%) of youth would like to start their own businesses, while 23% would prefer public-sector work.
  • If the government were to increase spending to support young people, youth would prioritise education (27%) above all else.
  • The increasing cost of living ranks as the most important problem that Seychellois youth want their government to address (cited by 47% of young respondents), followed by drug abuse and trafficking (34%), wages (22%), health (15%), and education (14%).
  • Young people offer mixed evaluations of the government's performance on their top priorities. A majority (55%) approve of its performance on meeting educational needs, but only minorities are satisfied with its efforts to narrow income gaps (19%) and keep prices stable (25%).
  • These assessments reflect declines in approval ratings for most key priorities since 2022.
  • More than four in 10 youth (45%) believe Seychelles is headed in "the wrong direction."
  • Only 27% describe the country's economic situation as "fairly good" or "very good," while 44% are satisfied with their personal living conditions.
  • More than one-fifth (23%) of youth have considered emigrating
  • Finding better job opportunities tops the list of reasons to move abroad.

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Unlike many African countries, Seychelles is experiencing an aging population and a declining youth demographic. Young adults aged 15-30 make up 22% of the population, a share that is projected to decrease to 19% by 2064 (Republic of Seychelles, 2024; National Bureau of Statistics, 2025a).

Unemployment among Seychellois youth (15-24 years) stands at 9.7%, which is considered severe compared to the national average of 2.3%. In addition, nearly one in five youth (18.7%) are categorised as "not in education, employment, or training," up from 14.8% in 2024, reflecting a substantial level of youth disengagement (National Bureau of Statistics, 2025b).

Seychellois youth aged 15-24 are more likely than other age cohorts to experience multidimensional poverty (16.5% vs. 10.3%-13.1%), and for some deprivation is compounded by substance abuse, overcrowded living conditions, and a lack of involvement in the workforce or education (National Bureau of Statistics, 2020).

The Global Youth Development Index (2023) classifies Seychelles as a medium youth development country, with high levels of youth development in education, equality, and health, and lags in employment, political participation, and peace and security (Commonwealth Secretariat, 2024).

Afrobarometer survey findings show that while Seychellois youth are more educated than their elders, they are more likely to be unemployed. In their view, key obstacles to employment include a lack of work experience, inadequate training, and a reluctance to take up certain jobs. If given a choice, nearly half of young Seychellois would pursue entrepreneurship, and many see investment in education as the most important way the government could help young people.

The increasing cost of living is their top priority for government action, followed by drug abuse and trafficking, wages, health, and education. Youth offer mixed assessments of the government's performance on these issues, mostly less favourable than in 2022.

While more than four in 10 young Seychellois see the country as headed in "the wrong direction," a similar proportion expect economic conditions to improve in 12 months' time. More than one in five have considered emigrating, mostly in pursuit of better job opportunities.

Anne Okello Anne is the assistant project manager for East Africa

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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