Cabo Verde — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Cabo Verde: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Cabo Verde is in Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal. It covers 4,033 sq km. Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic. Climate: temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic.
| Capital | Praia |
|---|---|
| Population | 611,014 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $5.2 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $9,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 7.3% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 11.9% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 127.6% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $1.158 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $1.473 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 74.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 29.3 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 68% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 5 July 1975 (from Portugal) |
| Languages | Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a Portuguese-based creole language with two main dialects) |
Cabo Verde’s GDP is $5.2 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $2.768 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 7.3% (2024 est.). See where Cabo Verde ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 1.0%; the economy grew 7.3% last year — genuine momentum
- What drags it down: public debt above 128% of GDP — the budget's ball and chain; unemployment at 11.9%
Salt, Gypsum.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 97.1% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 71.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 14.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 14.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 19.999 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 3.1 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 5,862 kWh per person (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $1.158 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $1.473 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $315.0 million (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Francisco Carvalho — Prime Minister. President Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 9 November 2021)
Cabo Verde maintains 19 embassies and 4 consulates abroad, hosts 15 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 19 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 4 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 15 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 965 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 10 (registration prefix D4) |
| Major seaports | Porto da Praia, Porto Grande |
Major airports
Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) — Espargos; Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC) — Rabil; Cesaria Evora International Airport (VXE) — São Pedro; Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI) — Praia; Maio Airport (MMO) — Vila do Maio; Preguiça Airport (SNE) — Preguiça.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Cabo Verde.
Historical timeline of Cabo Verde
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Cabo Verde — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Cabo Verde's power score?
Cabo Verde has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.