Cape Verde
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 527.3K (2025). World rank 172 of 216; in Africa, 52 of 54. Area: 4,033 km². World rank 177 of 249; in Africa, 51 of 59. GDP: $3.1B (2025). World rank 181 of 210; in Africa, 46 of 52. From 2015 to 2025: population 512.4K → 527.3K, GDP $1.7B → $3.1B, and GDP per person $3,415 → $5,796.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Cabo Verde
- Local name
- Cabo Verde
- Capital
- Praia
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Parliamentary republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- José Maria Neves
- Head of government
- Francisco Carvalho
- Independence
- July 5, 1975
- Women in parliament
- 44.4% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 527,326 2025
- Area
- 4,033 km²
- GDP
- $3.1B 2025
- GDP per person
- $5,796 2025
- Life expectancy
- 76.2 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Currency
- Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE)
- Time zones
- UTC−1
- Calling code
- +238
- Emergency numbers
- 130, 131, 132
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, F
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 965
- Neighbours
- None
- Agricultural land
- 24.8% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Pico do Fogo, 2,829 m
- Lowest point
- Pedra de Lume salt ponds, 0 m
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 24
- Warmest month in the capital
- September, 27°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- February, 22°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 228 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 130.8 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +0.5% 2025
- Living in cities
- 77.6% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -1.3K 2025
- Born in another country
- 3.1% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 24.7% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 68.2% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 7.2% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 79.4 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 73.1 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.5 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 12.2 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5.1 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 72.5%, no religion 15.6%, other Christian 5.2%, Protestant 4%, and Muslim 1.3% (2021)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 66.1 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 66.3 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 62.8 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 55.6 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 73.9 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $12,165 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +6.3% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $5,590 2025
- Inflation
- +2.3% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 48 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 5% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 10.7% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 67.9% 2025
- Unemployment
- 11.9% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 28.4% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 50.5% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 42% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 53.4% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +3.6% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +5% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 11.7% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 18.4% 2020
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 42.4 2015
- Living on under $3 a day
- 14.6% 2015
Education
- Adult literacy
- 88.5% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 103% 2022
- Secondary school enrolment
- 96.4% 2022
- Higher education enrolment
- 24.3% 2018
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 4.4% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 5.8% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $290 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 25.7% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.7 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1.8 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2.2 2022
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 95% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 10.6 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 11.1 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 40 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.9% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 6.8% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 46.7% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 10.4% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 92.3% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 83.1% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 89% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 7 2020
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 26.8 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 14.9 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 80.7 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, volcanoes, droughts, and dust and sand storms
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 20.2 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 1.3 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.7 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 12.5% 2024
- Protected areas
- 0.2% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 577 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 59.7% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 74.7% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 112 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 8.3 2024
- Internet domain
- .cv
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 98.4% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 21.8% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 18.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 81.7% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 71,784 2023
- Airports
- 10 2025
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2011
- Researchers per million people
- 125 2014
- Scientific articles per year
- 18 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.2% 2023