The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cabo Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. The fusing of European and various African cultural traditions is reflected in Cabo Verde’s Crioulo language, music, and pano textiles. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cabo Verde continues to sustain one of Africa’s most stable democratic governments and relatively stable economies, maintaining a currency formerly pegged to the Portuguese escudo and then the euro since 1998. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cabo Verde’s expatriate population - concentrated in Boston and Western Europe - is greater than its domestic one.
Most Cabo Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents. Cabo Verde’s population descends from its first permanent inhabitants in the late 15th-century – a preponderance of West African slaves, a small share of Portuguese colonists, and even fewer Italians and Spaniards. Among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable. Islands in the east are very dry and are home to the country’s growing tourism industry. The more western islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged their soil fertility and vegetation. For centuries, the country’s overall population size has fluctuated significantly, as recurring periods of famine and epidemics have caused high death tolls and emigration. In November 2021, Jose Maria Pereira NEVES was sworn in as Cabo Verde’s latest president.
land: 4,033 sq km
water: 0 sq km
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
arable land: 11.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)
forest: 21% (2018 est.)
other: 60.4% (2018 est.)
603,901 (2023 est.)
noun: Cabo Verdean(s)
adjective: Cabo Verdean
Creole (Mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a Portuguese-based Creole language with two main dialects spoken in Cabo Verde and in the Cabo Verdean diaspora worldwide)
Roman Catholic 77.3%, Protestant 4.6% (includes Church of the Nazarene 1.7%, Adventist 1.5%, Assembly of God 0.9%, Universal Kingdom of God 0.4%, and God and Love 0.1%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Christian Rationalism 1.9%, Jehovah’s Witness 1%, and New Apostolic 0.5%), Muslim 1.8%, other 1.3%, none 10.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.)
Cabo Verde’s population descends from its first permanent inhabitants in the late 15th-century – a preponderance of West African slaves, a small share of Portuguese colonists, and even fewer Italians, Spaniards, and Portuguese Jews. Over the centuries, the country’s overall population size has fluctuated significantly, as recurring periods of famine and epidemics have caused high death tolls and emigration.Labor migration historically reduced Cabo Verde’s population growth and still provides a key source of income through remittances. Expatriates probably outnumber Cabo Verde’s resident population, with most families having a member abroad. Cabo Verdeans have settled in the US, Europe, Africa, and South America. The largest diaspora community in New Bedford, Massachusetts, dating to the early 1800s, is a byproduct of the transatlantic whaling industry. Cabo Verdean men fleeing poverty at home joined the crews of US whaling ships that stopped in the islands. Many settled in New Bedford and stayed in the whaling or shipping trade, worked in the textile or cranberry industries, or operated their own transatlantic packet ships that transported compatriots to the US. Increased Cabo Verdean emigration to the US coincided with the gradual and eventually complete abolition of slavery in the archipelago in 1878.During the same period, Portuguese authorities coerced Cabo Verdeans to go to Sao Tome and Principe and other Portuguese colonies in Africa to work as indentured laborers on plantations. In the 1920s, when the US implemented immigration quotas, Cabo Verdean emigration shifted toward Portugal, West Africa (Senegal), and South America (Argentina). Growing numbers of Cabo Verdean labor migrants headed to Western Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. They filled unskilled jobs in Portugal, as many Portuguese sought out work opportunities in the more prosperous economies of northwest Europe. Cabo Verdeans eventually expanded their emigration to the Netherlands, where they worked in the shipping industry. Migration to the US resumed under relaxed migration laws. Cabo Verdean women also began migrating to southern Europe to become domestic workers, a trend that continues today and has shifted the gender balance of Cabo Verdean emigration.Emigration has declined in more recent decades due to the adoption of more restrictive migration policies in destination countries. Reduced emigration along with a large youth population, decreased mortality rates, and increased life expectancies, has boosted population growth, putting further pressure on domestic employment and resources. In addition, Cabo Verde has attracted increasing numbers of migrants in recent decades, consisting primarily of people from West Africa, Portuguese-speaking African countries, Portugal, and China. Since the 1990s, some West African migrants have used Cabo Verde as a stepping stone for illegal migration to Europe.
0-14 years: 26.68% (male 80,974/female 80,143)
15-64 years: 67.18% (male 198,503/female 207,205)
65 years and over: 6.14% (2023 est.) (male 14,099/female 22,977)
total dependency ratio: 47.2
youth dependency ratio: 39.2
elderly dependency ratio: 8
potential support ratio: 12.5 (2021 est.)
total: 28.3 years (2023 est.)
male: 27.5 years
female: 29.2 years
1.19% (2023 est.)
18.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable; islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled to exploit their extensive salt deposits; the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged the soil fertility and vegetation; approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia; Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population as shown in this
urban population: 68% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
168,000 PRAIA (capital) (2018)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
42 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.8 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 74 years (2023 est.)
male: 71.7 years
female: 76.4 years
2.11 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.04 (2023 est.)
55.8% (2018)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 90% of population
total: 96.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 10% of population
total: 3.3% of population (2020 est.)
6% of GDP (2020)
0.83 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
2.1 beds/1,000 population
improved: urban: 91.7% of population
rural: 73.3% of population
total: 85.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 8.3% of population
rural: 26.7% of population
total: 14.4% of population (2020 est.)
11.8% (2016)
total: 4.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 1.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 11.4% (2020 est.)
male: 17.3% (2020 est.)
female: 5.4% (2020 est.)
NA
46.9% (2023 est.)
7.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.8%
male: 94.2%
female: 87.4% (2021)
total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2018)
deforestation due to demand for firewood; water shortages; prolonged droughts and improper use of land (overgrazing, crop cultivation on hillsides lead to desertification and erosion); environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic
agricultural land: 18.6% (2018 est.)
arable land: 11.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)
forest: 21% (2018 est.)
other: 60.4% (2018 est.)
urban population: 68% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.38% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 31.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 0.54 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 0.13 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 132,555 tons (2012 est.)
municipal: 1.6 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
industrial: 400,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)
agricultural: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
300 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
tourism-dominated economy benefits from the country’s relative close proximity to Europe; 2009 Financial Crisis halted economic growth for seven years; leveraging export-based growth; COVID-19 decimated economic growth and recovery; high external debt
$3.595 billion (2021 est.)
$3.361 billion (2020 est.)
$3.944 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
6.95% (2021 est.)
-14.78% (2020 est.)
5.67% (2019 est.)
$6,100 (2021 est.)
$5,800 (2020 est.)
$6,800 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$1.971 billion (2019 est.)
1.86% (2021 est.)
0.61% (2020 est.)
1.11% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: B- (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: B (2013)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 8.9% (2017 est.)
industry: 17.5% (2017 est.)
services: 73.7% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 50.1% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 18.3% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 32.2% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.9% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 48.6% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -51.1% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, tomatoes, bananas, cabbages, coconuts, cassava, pulses, vegetables, milk, goat milk
food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair
11.76% (2021 est.)
234,300 (2021 est.)
15.42% (2021 est.)
15.31% (2020 est.)
12.22% (2019 est.)
total: 34.3% (2021 est.)
male: 29.9%
female: 40.7%
35% (2015 est.)
42.4 (2015 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 40.6% (2000)
revenues: $583 million (2019 est.)
expenditures: $619 million (2019 est.)
-3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
125.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
127.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
20.09% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
calendar year
-$256.181 million (2021 est.)
-$284.109 million (2020 est.)
$6.477 million (2019 est.)
$459.923 million (2021 est.)
$415.242 million (2020 est.)
$1.006 billion (2019 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Spain 65%, Portugal 14%, Italy 8% (2019)
tuna, mackerel, aircraft, other processed and frozen fish, postage stamps and title bond paper documents, mollusks (2021)
$1.117 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.008 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.287 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Portugal 36%, Netherlands 16%, Spain 11%, China 6% (2019)
refined petroleum, delivery trucks, coal tar oil, cars, rice (2019)
$769.65 million (31 December 2021 est.)
$735.085 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$737.991 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$1.713 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.688 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Cabo Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
93.218 (2021 est.)
96.796 (2020 est.)
98.495 (2019 est.)
93.414 (2018 est.)
97.807 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 95.2% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 94.8% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 96.8% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 205,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 436.854 million kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 32.146 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 80.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 17.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 6,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
5,607 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
1.002 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 1.002 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
26.539 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 140,429 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,728,152 (2015) mt-km
D4
9 (2021)
9
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
total: 1,350 km (2013)
paved: 932 km (2013)
unpaved: 418 km (2013)
total: 47 (2022)
by type: general cargo 16, oil tanker 3, other 28
major seaport(s): Porto Grande
manyapis