Religious Freedom Ranking: 3.5 out of 5 stars: Needs Improvement

The Seychelles are a group of islands off the eastern coast of Africa. The country has a population of 87,000 people. It is estimated that 82 percent of the people are Roman Catholic and six percent are Anglican. Other Christian religions present in the country are Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Church, the Pentecostal Assembly, Nazarites and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are also small numbers of Hindus, Muslims, and Baha’is.

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion. Generally the government respects this right in practice. While the government only officially recognizes Christian religious holidays, government employees of any religious background can request paid leave for their holidays. Such requests are usually granted. The government also provides air time to religious organizations on its national radio station. There has been some controversy with these broadcasts because Catholic and Anglican programs were censored by the government before being aired. The U.S. embassy in Mauritius, which is responsible for diplomatic relations with Seychelles, has raised concerns about these restrictions.

2010 U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Seychelles

Seychelles - New World Encyclopedia

Seychelles Country Profile- BBC News

Somalia Country Profile- BBC News