The 2019 United Nations Human Development Report, which was released in Colombia on 9th December, ranks Seychelles as 62nd out of 189 countries, scoring an index of 0.801 which places it among the countries categorised as having a very high development index (VHDI).

Seychelles is also the only country in the African region and the Indian Ocean to have attained the VHDI category in 2019.

The UNDP Report notes that between 2000 and 2018, Seychelles’ HDI value increased from 0.712 to 0.801, an increase of 12.6 percent. It also noted that between 1990 and 2018, Seychelles’ life expectancy at birth increased by 2.6 years; the mean years of schooling increased by 2.2 years and expected years of schooling increased by 4.0 years. Seychelles’ GNI per capita increased by about 82.9 percent between 1990 and 2018.

In welcoming the UNDP Report, President Danny Faure congratulated the people of Seychelles on the progress they had made over the years, and said that these achievements were the result of the country’s focus on people-centred development. He said that the country’s development plans would continue to put its people first, and ensure that no one was left behind.

The 2019 Human Development Index Report may be accessed at http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/2019-human-development-index-ranking