Cape Verde (Republic of Cape Verde)

Cape Verde Republic of Cape Verde
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	83rd best
Capital	Praia
Land Area	4 030km21
Location	Africa
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	0.5m2
Life Expectancy	74.05yrs (2017)3
GNI	$6 230 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CV, CPV, 1325
Internet Domain	.cv6
Currency	Escudo (CVE)7
Telephone	+2388

1. Overview
2. Cape Verde National and Social Development
3. Cape Verde's Demographics and Migration
4. Cape Verde's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Cape Verde's Health
6. Cape Verde's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Cape Verde's Modernity and Learning
8. Cape Verde's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#brazil

“The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. 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. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Rising from the Atlantic 500km off the coast of West Africa, the islands of Cape Verde are at once unmistakeably African and a world away from the continent. Set sail with the Saharan trade winds and rock and roll across stormy Atlantic seas for days. Then, just before you´re halfway to Brazil, an island rises into view. You have reached Cape Verde, an arrow-shaped archipelago that is the region´s most Westernised country, where the people are richer and better educated than almost anywhere on the continent. Though it may appear as a set of flyspecks poking out of the eastern Atlantic, this 10-island archipelago packs a punch. On Santo Antão, craggy peaks hide piercing green valleys of flowers and sugar cane, ideal for epic hikes. São Vicente is home to the cultural capital of the islands, Mindelo, which throbs with bars and music clubs. On Boa Vista, Sal and Maio, wispy white dunes merge with indigo-blue seas on unspoiled beaches of soft sand. Throw in the constant beat of music that Cape Verde is famed for and the renowned morabeza (Creole for hospitality) of its people and you´ll see why many have come - and never left.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Cape Verde National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
125	El Salvador	0.675
126	Nicaragua	0.667
127	Bhutan	0.666
128	Cape Verde	0.662
129	Bangladesh	0.661
130	Tuvalu	0.641
131	Marshall Islands	0.639
132	India	0.633
	Africa Avg	0.56
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
128	Palestine	$6 583
129	Tuvalu	$6 351
130	Belize	$6 309
131	Cape Verde	$6 230
132	Ghana	$5 745
133	Nicaragua	$5 625
134	Bangladesh	$5 472
135	Angola	$5 466
	Africa Avg	$5 339
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	29.7
2	Norway	33.6
3	Switzerland	35.2
	...
80	Andorra	83.6
81	Indonesia	83.8
82	Dominican Rep.	84.6
83	Cape Verde	84.9
84	Bahamas	85.3
85	Armenia	85.4
86	St Vincent & Grenadines	85.8
87	S. Africa	85.9
	Africa Avg	119.0
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Cape Verde's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Cape Verde's population is predicted to rise to 588 297 by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.88. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
164	Montenegro	0.6m
165	Luxembourg	0.6m
166	Suriname	0.6m
167	Cape Verde	0.5m
168	Maldives	0.5m
169	Malta	0.4m
170	Brunei	0.4m
171	Bahamas	0.4m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
66	Jordan	74.3
67	Serbia	74.2
68	Romania	74.2
69	Cape Verde	74.1
70	Morocco	74.0
71	Iran	73.9
72	Macedonia	73.8
73	Nicaragua	73.8
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
14	Lebanon	2.08
15	Kuwait	2.09
16	Turkey	1.88
17	Cape Verde	1.88
18	Argentina	1.88
19	Myanmar (Burma)	2.13
20	Indonesia	2.15
21	Greenland	1.84
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
66	Saudi Arabia	09.5
67	Haiti	09.6
68	Vanuatu	09.9
69	Cape Verde	10.0
70	Philippines	10.3
71	Cambodia	10.4
72=	Egypt	10.5
72=	Libya	10.5
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
105	Kyrgyzstan	3.3%
106	Chad	3.3%
107	Tajikistan	3.1%
108	Cape Verde	2.8%
109	Burundi	2.8%
110	Chile	2.7%
111	Micronesia	2.6%
112	Azerbaijan	2.6%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
13	Bosnia & Herzegovina	38.9%
14	Palau	38.8%
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7%
16	Cape Verde	37.6%
17	Jamaica	36.1%
18	Armenia	28.2%
19	Trinidad & Tobago	26.7%
20	Malta	26.2%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Cape Verde's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance #women

Compared to Africa (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Mauritius	63.7
2	S. Africa	64.3
3	Cape Verde	68.0
4	Seychelles	73.8
5	Namibia	77.7
6	Senegal	84.7
7	Botswana	86.8
8	Ghana	92.3
9	Tunisia	95.2
10	Lesotho	100.4
11	Sao Tome & Principe	101.2
12	Burkina Faso	101.3
13	Mali	101.6
	Africa Avg	110.04
q=54.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
61	Bolivia	66.3
62	Bahamas	66.6
63	Ecuador	67.2
64	Cape Verde	68.0
65	Peru	68.7
66	St Lucia	69.9
67	Kiribati	70.1
68	Monaco	71.7
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₁₉.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets:

Press Freedom Higher is better20
Pos.		202520
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
27	S. Africa	75.71
28	Namibia	75.35
29	Australia	75.15
30	Cape Verde	74.98
31	Poland	74.79
32	Suriname	74.49
33	Slovenia	74.06
34	Armenia	73.96
	Africa Avg	52.30
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Slavery Lower is better21
Pos.		2018 % Victims21
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
79	Latvia	0.39
80	Dominican Rep.	0.40
81=	Kosovo	0.40
82	Cape Verde	0.41
83=	Kyrgyzstan	0.41
84	Cyprus	0.42
85=	Kazakhstan	0.42
85=	Lesotho	0.42
	Africa Avg	0.96
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better22
Pos.		2014 Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
89=	Kenya	88
89=	Bahrain	88
91	Jordan	91
92	Cape Verde	92
93	Botswana	93
94=	Liberia	94
94=	Lesotho	94
96	Kazakhstan	96
	Africa Avg	114.2
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
1=	Slovakia	1.0
1=	Chile	1.0
1=	San Marino	1.0
1=	Costa Rica	1.0
1=	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.0
1=	St Lucia	1.0
1=	Cyprus	1.0
1=	Denmark	1.0
1=	Dominica	1.0
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better23
Pos.		2009 Treaties23
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
106	Libya	15
107=	Maldives	15
107=	Andorra	15
107=	Cape Verde	15
107=	Bangladesh	15
107=	Mozambique	15
112	Dominican Rep.	14
113=	Kenya	14
	Africa Avg	14.8
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better24
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty24
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
32	Hungary	5.91
33	Mongolia	6.26
34	Poland	6.34
35	Cape Verde	6.40
36	Venezuela	6.51
37	Italy	6.56
38	Russia	6.58
39	UK	6.62
	Africa Avg	9.88
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality Datasets:

Cape Verde has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Gender Inequality Lower is better25
Pos.		202225
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
77	Fiji	0.33
78=	Bahamas	0.33
78=	Maldives	0.33
80	Cape Verde	0.33
81	St Lucia	0.35
82	Kyrgyzstan	0.35
83	Jamaica	0.35
84	Mexico	0.36
	Africa Avg	0.53
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
164=	Jordan	1974
164=	Solomon Islands	1974
166	Sao Tome & Principe	1975
167=	Cape Verde	1975
167=	Angola	1975
167=	Mozambique	1975
170	Portugal	1976
171	Guinea-Bissau	1977
	Africa Avg	1961
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice Datasets:

LGBT Equality Higher is better26
Pos.		2017 Score26
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
69=	Mongolia	25
69=	Liechtenstein	25
69=	Macedonia	25
69=	Cape Verde	25
69=	Moldova	25
69=	Turkey	25
69=	Latvia	25
69=	Dominican Rep.	25
	Africa Avg	-10.4
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better27
Pos.		202127
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
36	Japan	2.3
37=	Botswana	2.3
37=	Benin	2.3
37=	Cape Verde	2.3
37=	Kiribati	2.3
37=	Antigua & Barbuda	2.3
37=	Uruguay	2.3
43	Seychelles	2.3
	Africa Avg	3.1
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Cape Verde's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Africa (2025)28
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank28
1	Mauritius	73.2
2	Tunisia	73.7
3	Morocco	82.7
4	Seychelles	92.8
5=	Algeria	93.4
6	Cape Verde	94.1
7	Libya	107.1
8	Djibouti	109.7
9	Rwanda	110.8
10	Ghana	111.5
11	Sao Tome & Principe	111.5
12	Eritrea	113.2
13	Senegal	115.3
	Africa Avg	111.13
q=54.

Health (2025)28
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank28
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
103	Panama	93.5
104	Georgia	93.7
105	Russia	93.8
106	Cape Verde	94.1
107	Myanmar (Burma)	94.4
108	Romania	94.6
109	Belarus	94.8
110	Chile	95.1
	World Avg	96.49
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₂₉. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, The Cook Islands and S. Sudan₂₉.

27 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₂₉, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Melanesia and Australasia₂₉.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Cape Verde does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Cape Verde comes in the best 20 when it comes to its fertility rate₁₄ (amongst the best in Africa). It does better than average in terms of its smoking rate₃₀, the prevalence of overweight adults₃₁, its average life expectancy₁₁ (one of the highest in Africa), its alcohol consumption rate₃₂ (but bad for Africa) and in its immunizations take-up₃₃. But, things could still be better. Cape Verde does worse than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₃₄ (still low for Africa). And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Cabo Verde improved by +11yrs in the 30 years from 1990, better than the global average of +7.9yrs. It is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 6.99 in 1965.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
66	Jordan	74.3
67	Serbia	74.2
68	Romania	74.2
69	Cape Verde	74.1
70	Morocco	74.0
71	Iran	73.9
72	Macedonia	73.8
73	Nicaragua	73.8
	Africa Avg	62.79
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better32
Pos.		2016 Per Capita32
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
85	Venezuela	5.6
86=	Sierra Leone	5.7
86=	India	5.7
86=	Cape Verde	5.7
89	Liberia	5.8
90=	Haiti	5.8
90=	Colombia	5.8
92	Nauru	6.0
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
14	Lebanon	2.08
15	Kuwait	2.09
16	Turkey	1.88
17	Cape Verde	1.88
18	Argentina	1.88
19	Myanmar (Burma)	2.13
20	Indonesia	2.15
21	Greenland	1.84
	Africa Avg	3.97
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better30
Pos.		Total %30
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
35=	Dominican Rep.	10.5%
36	Kenya	10.7%
37	Paraguay	10.8%
38	Cape Verde	11.0%
39	Guyana	11.2%
40	Burundi	11.2%
41=	Zimbabwe	11.3%
41=	Bahamas	11.3%
	Africa Avg	12.4%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
151	St Lucia	151
152	Trinidad & Tobago	152
153	Mozambique	153
154	Cape Verde	154
155	Bahamas	155
156	Libya	156
157	Papua New Guinea	157
158	Belize	158
	Africa Avg	117.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better31
Pos.		1976 %31
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
37	Mauritania	9.7
38	Benin	9.8
39	Togo	10.0
40	Cape Verde	10.1
41	China	10.2
42	Central African Rep.	10.3
43	Sierra Leone	10.4
44	Equatorial Guinea	10.5
	Africa Avg	13.4
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better36
Pos.		2022 %36
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
56	Denmark	14.3%
57	Thailand	14.5%
58	Sao Tome & Principe	15.0%
59	Cape Verde	15.1%
60	Namibia	15.3%
61	Sudan	15.5%
62	Comoros	15.5%
63	Liberia	16.2%
	Africa Avg	13.7%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better34
Pos.		2022 Per 100034
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
125	Yemen	52.5
126	Burundi	52.6
127	Mexico	53.7
128	Cape Verde	54.0
129	Papua New Guinea	54.3
130	El Salvador	54.5
131	Suriname	55.2
132	Comoros	56.1
	Africa Avg	84.6
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better33
Pos.		2015 Avg %33
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
89	Bulgaria	93.7
90	Serbia	93.5
91	Egypt	93.4
92	Cape Verde	93.4
93	Burundi	93.3
94	Chile	93.3
95	Georgia	93.1
96	New Zealand	92.9
	Africa Avg	81.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Cabo Verde was amongst 49 countries in the 1990s who had an adolescent birth rate of over 100 (per 1000 girls aged 15-19). It's making steady improvements each decade, consistently better than the global average improvement rate.

6. Cape Verde's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #cape_verde #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Africa (2025)37
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank37
1	Morocco	46.5
2	Burundi	47.8
3	Mali	51.0
	...
23	Congo, DR	73.0
24	Swaziland	74.2
25	Chad	74.4
26	Cape Verde	75.6
27	Malawi	76.0
28	Benin	76.5
29	Botswana	76.8
30	Congo, (Brazzaville)	77.6
31	Egypt	78.0
	Africa Avg	80.07
q=53.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)37
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank37
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
72	Turkey	75.0
73	China	75.2
74	Belgium	75.3
75	Cape Verde	75.6
76	Afghanistan	75.7
77	New Zealand	75.8
78	Bulgaria	75.8
79	Malawi	76.0
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₃₈. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Cape Verde ranks 75th in the world when it comes to its responsibility towards the environment. This is derived from 21 data sets. Cape Verde does better than average in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₉, reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₀ (but high for Africa) and in its environmental performance₄₁. Cape Verde still has work to do. Cape Verde does worse than average for energy to GDP efficiency₄₂ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Environmental Performance Higher is better41
Pos.		201841
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
86	Saudi Arabia	57.5
87	Ecuador	57.4
88	Algeria	57.2
89	Cape Verde	56.9
90	Mauritius	56.6
91	St Lucia	56.2
92	Bolivia	56.0
93	Barbados	55.8
	Africa Avg	46.4
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better42
Pos.		2022 Avg42
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
98	Azerbaijan	1.18
99	Norway	1.19
100	Argentina	1.19
101	Cape Verde	1.19
102	Dominica	1.20
103	Greece	1.20
104	Algeria	1.20
105	Ecuador	1.22
	Africa Avg	0.83
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
162	Kyrgyzstan	46%
163	Libya	46%
164	Micronesia	46%
165	Cape Verde	46%
166	Guinea-Bissau	46%
167	Bosnia & Herzegovina	45%
168	Laos	44%
169	Myanmar (Burma)	44%
	Africa Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Meat Consumption Lower is better40
Pos.		2021 kg40
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
70	Azerbaijan	37.1
71	Namibia	37.2
72	Georgia	37.8
73	Cape Verde	38.4
74	Honduras	38.8
75	Kyrgyzstan	39.0
76	Macedonia	41.0
77	Guatemala	42.1
	Africa Avg	24.9
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

7. Cape Verde's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #research #science #technology #the_internet

Compared to Africa (2020)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	S. Africa	56.9
2	Tunisia	70.8
3=	Mauritius	79.6
	...
13	Ghana	110.3
14	Nigeria	111.1
15	Zimbabwe	111.6
16	Cape Verde	113.3
17	Namibia	113.4
18	Cameroon	114.2
19	Swaziland	115.9
20	Zambia	116.3
21	Rwanda	123.0
	Africa Avg	120.19
q=53.

Modernity & Learning (2020)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
126	Nigeria	111.1
127	Marshall Islands	111.1
128	Zimbabwe	111.6
129	Cape Verde	113.3
130	Namibia	113.4
131	Turkmenistan	114.0
132	Cameroon	114.2
133	Swaziland	115.9
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₄. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₄. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₅.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₄₆

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₄, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₄.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2947
2	Israel	4.1147
3	Japan	3.5847
	...
113=	Indonesia	0.0848
114	Saudi Arabia	0.0749
115=	Algeria	0.0750
115=	Cape Verde	0.0751
117	Trinidad & Tobago	0.0552
118=	Macau	0.0548
119	Honduras	0.0453
120=	Guatemala	0.0452
	Africa Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better54
Pos.		201854
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
141	Uganda	32.1%
142	Angola	30.2%
143	Lesotho	30.0%
144	Cape Verde	29.9%
145	Liberia	29.0%
146	Yemen	28.0%
147	Benin	26.5%
148	Sierra Leone	26.3%
	Africa Avg	34.4%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better55
Pos.		2021 Years55
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
123	Qatar	12.6
124	Maldives	12.6
125	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	12.6
126	Cape Verde	12.6
127	Guyana	12.5
128	Uzbekistan	12.5
129	Bangladesh	12.4
130	Samoa	12.4
	Africa Avg	11.0
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
100	Laos	100
101	Cameroon	101
102	Peru	102
103	Cape Verde	103
104	Swaziland	104
105	Albania	105
106	Madagascar	106
107	Thailand	107
	Africa Avg	106.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better56
Pos.		201656
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
115	Ecuador	43%
116	Thailand	43%
117=	Mauritius	43%
117=	Cape Verde	43%
119	Suriname	42%
120	Bolivia	41%
121	Peru	41%
122	Guyana	40%
	Africa Avg	18.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better57
Pos.		2017 Ratio57
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
96=	Azerbaijan	0.0
96=	Angola	0.0
96=	Armenia	0.0
96=	Cape Verde	0.0
96=	Nigeria	0.0
96=	Uzbekistan	0.0
96=	Colombia	0.0
96=	Ghana	0.0
	Africa Avg	0.04
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Cape Verde's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #corruption #culture #economics #equality #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #peace #politics #social_development

Compared to Africa (2020)58
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank58
1	Mauritius	48.3
2	Sao Tome & Principe	67.7
3	Tunisia	74.9
	...
10	Algeria	86.2
11	Namibia	87.3
12	Zambia	88.5
13	Cape Verde	90.8
14	Malawi	91.3
15	Ethiopia	92.2
16	Burkina Faso	93.2
17	Tanzania	93.3
18	Sierra Leone	93.4
	Africa Avg	101.84
q=53.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)58
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank58
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
113	Tajikistan	88.6
114	Bolivia	88.8
115	St Vincent & Grenadines	89.2
116	Cape Verde	90.8
117	Malawi	91.3
118	Nicaragua	92.1
119	Ethiopia	92.2
120	Colombia	92.6
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture Datasets:

Cape Verde has an adequate long-term record on corruption.

Corruption Higher is better59
Pos.		2022 Points59
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
32	Israel	63.0
33	Lithuania	62.0
34=	Portugal	62.0
35	Cape Verde	60.0
36=	Spain	60.0
36=	St Vincent & Grenadines	60.0
36=	Botswana	60.0
39	Latvia	59.0
	Africa Avg	32.31
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
81	Fiji	81
82	Kenya	82
83	Guatemala	83
84	Cape Verde	84
85	Morocco	85
86	Jamaica	86
87	Senegal	87
88	Indonesia	88
	Africa Avg	117.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
112	Laos	112
113	China	113
114	S. Africa	114
115	Cape Verde	115
116	Russia	116
117	Angola	117
118	Guyana	118
119	Colombia	119
	Africa Avg	96.7
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
135	Macedonia	135
136	Armenia	136
137	Dominica	137
138	Cape Verde	138
139	St Lucia	139
140	Kuwait	140
141	Saudi Arabia	141
142	St Vincent & Grenadines	142
	Africa Avg	83.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
105	Suriname	105
106	Namibia	106
107	Tunisia	107
108	Cape Verde	108
109	China	109
110	Kazakhstan	110
111	Jordan	111
112	Libya	112
	Africa Avg	104.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better60
Pos.		201960
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
95	Panama	12.00
96=	Palestine	12.00
97	Solomon Islands	12.10
98	Cape Verde	12.20
99	El Salvador	12.50
100	Suriname	12.80
101	Vietnam	12.90
102=	Syria	13.00
	Africa Avg	26.10
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better61
Pos.		2023 %61
1	Slovakia	24.1%62
2	Slovenia	24.3%62
3	Belarus	24.4%63
	...
130	Djibouti	41.6%64
131	Papua New Guinea	41.9%65
132	Cameroon	42.2%62
133	Cape Verde	42.4%66
134	Madagascar	42.6%67
135	Uganda	42.7%68
136=	Central African Rep.	43.0%62
136=	Chile	43.0%69
	Africa Avg	40.7%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Cape Verde - only for 3 years between 1980 and 2019.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₇₀:

Christian	89.1%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	1.5%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	9.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)₇₁.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems