Seychelles: crime and justice

How much crime is recorded in Seychelles?

Police in Seychelles recorded 1,046 reactive crime cases in the second quarter of 2026, 21.6% more than a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics' Crime, Justice and Security Statistics for Q2 2026. The largest categories were theft (303 cases), offences against the person (283), arson and criminal damage (150) and burglaries (124).

Reactive cases are crimes reported to the police by the public. The police also generated 3,876 cases themselves in the quarter, most of them road traffic accidents (2,786), along with public order and drug offences. Recorded crime counts only what is reported and logged, so changes can reflect reporting and policing as well as crime itself.

Official sources: NBS: Crime, Justice and Security Statistics, Q2 2026 (PDF)

How many murders are there in Seychelles?

Police in Seychelles recorded 8 cases of murder, manslaughter and infanticide in the year from July 2025 to June 2026: 3, 2, 2 and 1 in the four quarters, according to the National Bureau of Statistics' Crime, Justice and Security Statistics for Q2 2026. One case was recorded in the second quarter of 2026.

The category groups murder, manslaughter and infanticide together, and counts cases recorded by the police, not convictions. With a population of about 123,000, a handful of cases can move any rate per 100,000 people sharply from one year to the next, so the counts are more useful than a rate for following trends.

Official sources: NBS: Crime, Justice and Security Statistics, Q2 2026 (PDF)

How many prisoners are there in Seychelles?

Seychelles held 447 prisoners at the end of June 2026: 358 convicted prisoners, 86 on remand and 3 prohibited immigrants, according to the National Bureau of Statistics' Crime, Justice and Security Statistics for Q2 2026, based on Prison Department data. 403 were men and 44 women.

The figure is a count on the last day of the month, and it moves as people are admitted and released: the total was 439 at the end of April and 454 at the end of May. In the quarter there were 100 new admissions of convicted prisoners and 68 of remand prisoners. Most convicted prisoners were aged 28 to 47.

Official sources: NBS: Crime, Justice and Security Statistics, Q2 2026 (PDF)

What is the homicide rate in the Seychelles?

The latest figure from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, for 2022, is 8.0 per 100,000. Its high point since 2006 was 2013, at 17.6 per 100,000; its low point was 2012, at 4.0 per 100,000. It is 3rd highest of 8 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 6.8 per 100,000. Worldwide: 26th of 99.