Atrium

Abstract

Although Seychelles is a very small country with a population of 79 879 in 2003, it has a complex and under-studied society and economy. In order to provide broad context, this article provides an overview of the national population trends before framing Seychelles in the concept of a small island developing state (SIDS). This serves to highlight macroeconomic and geographical realities. The article then gives a short sketch of the transition of the economy from the colonial period to the present. These two sections provide understanding of the country's vulnerabilities and export- orientated productive base, thereby explicating the economic input to social development. The next section provides analysis of a cross- section of key indicators of social development. This demonstrates the comparatively high levels of human development in Seychelles. Finally, the article briefly examines how social development has been sustained since independence and outlines challenges to maintaining socio-economic gains in the medium-term future.