Cabo Verde

parliamentary republic

name: Praia geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the earlier Portuguese name was Villa de Praia ("Village of the Beach"); it was shortened to Praia in 1974

chief of state: President Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 9 November 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Jose Ulisses CORREIA e SILVA (since 22 April 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president most recent election date: 17 October 2021 election results: 2020: Jose Maria Pereira NEVES elected president; percent of vote - Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (PAICV) 51.7%, Carlos VEIGA (MPD) 42.4%, Casimiro DE PINA (independent) 1.8%, Fernando Rocha DELGADO (independent) 1.4%, Helio SANCHES (independent) 1.14%, Gilson ALVES (independent) 0.8%, Joaquim MONTEIRO (independent) 3.4% 2016: Jorge Carlos FONSECA reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74.1%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 22.5%, other 3.4% expected date of next election: October 2026

legislature name: National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 72 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 4/18/2021 parties elected and seats per party: Movement for Democracy (MpD) (38); African Party for the Independence of Cabo Verde (PAICV) (30); Union for an Independent Democratic Cape Verde (UCID) (4) percentage of women in chamber: 44.4% expected date of next election: April 2026

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 7 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and administrative sections) judge selection and term of office: judge appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Superior Judicial Council (SJC), a 16-member independent body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general, 8 private citizens, 2 judges, 2 prosecutors, the senior legal inspector of the Attorney General's office, and a representative of the Ministry of Justice; chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court of Justice and in consultation with the SJC; judges appointed for life subordinate courts: appeals courts, first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts

history: previous 1981; latest effective 25 September 1992 amendment process: proposals require support of at least four fifths of the active National Assembly membership; amendment drafts require sponsorship of at least one third of the active Assembly membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership; constitutional sections, including those on national independence, form of government, political pluralism, suffrage, and human rights and liberties, cannot be amended

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

0.6% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.5% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.5% of GDP (2021 est.) 0.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Cabo Verdean Armed Forces (FACV): National Guard (GN), Cabo Verde Coast Guard (Guardia Costeira de Cabo Verde, GCCV) (2025) note: the National Police are under the Ministry of Internal Affairs

17 years of age for voluntary service (with parental consent); 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory service (14-month service obligation) (2025)

the FACV is responsible for external defense; it also has an internal security role in collaboration with the police if required; its duties include monitoring and patrolling the country's air and maritime spaces, participating in training exercises, conducting search and rescue, countering narcotics and other forms of illicit trafficking, and supporting the police and civil society (2025)

$5.2 billion (2024 est.) $4.848 billion (2023 est.) $4.6 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$9,900 (2024 est.) $9,300 (2023 est.) $8,900 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

7.3% (2024 est.) 5.4% (2023 est.) 15.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

1% (2024 est.) 3.7% (2023 est.) 7.9% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

127.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

$1.158 billion (2024 est.) $972.636 million (2023 est.) $851.907 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$1.473 billion (2024 est.) $1.428 billion (2023 est.) $1.31 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

11.9% (2024 est.) 12% (2023 est.) 12.3% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $453.182 million (2020 est.) expenditures: $623.816 million (2020 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair

sugarcane, tomatoes, coconuts, pulses, goat milk, milk, vegetables, bananas, cabbages, onions (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 611,014 (2024 est.) male: 297,106 female: 313,908

1.12% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 26.4% (male 80,973/female 80,129) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 201,084/female 209,676) 65 years and over: 6.4% (2024 est.) (male 15,049/female 24,103)

17.51 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 74.3 years (2024 est.) male: 72 years female: 76.7 years

urban population: 68% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Creole (Mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a Portuguese-based creole language with two main dialects)

Roman Catholic 72.5%, Protestant 4% (includes Adventist 1.9%, Nazarene 1.8%, Assembly of God 0.2%, God is Love 0.1%), Christian Rationalism 1.7%, Muslim 1.3%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, Church of Jesus Christ 1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 1.2%, none 15.6%, no response 0.4% (2021 est.)

total population: 88.5% (2024 est.) male: 92.9% (2024 est.) female: 84.1% (2024 est.)

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List Cabo Verde did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period and was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/cabo-verde/

stateless persons: 115 (2024 est.)

10 (2025)

total: 44 (2023) by type: general cargo 14, oil tanker 2, other 28

total subscriptions: 590,354 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 112 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 74% (2023 est.)