Population by labor force status in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Population by labor force status was 130,224 people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
130,224 people
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
166th
of 186 countries
All-time high
189,921 people
in 1999
All-time low
130,224 people
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in Cape Verde, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Cape Verde recorded 130,224 people for population by labor force status in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Cape Verde peaked at 189,921 people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 130,224 people, in 2025.
Cape Verde ranks 166th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 175,451 people | — |
| 1992 | 178,829 people | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 181,817 people | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 184,393 people | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 186,483 people | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 188,059 people | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 189,178 people | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 189,829 people | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 189,921 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 189,403 people | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 188,231 people | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 186,480 people | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 184,299 people | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 181,814 people | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 179,171 people | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 176,484 people | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 173,735 people | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 170,817 people | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 167,689 people | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 164,091 people | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 159,919 people | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 155,873 people | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 152,421 people | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 149,557 people | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 147,420 people | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 146,178 people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 145,709 people | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 145,678 people | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 145,880 people | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 146,145 people | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 144,621 people | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 141,238 people | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 137,743 people | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 134,092 people | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 130,224 people | -2.9% |
Cape Verde compared with similar countries
- Cape Verde's 130,224 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.99 million people, 7% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Cape Verde's 130,224 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.33 million people, 2% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 184,884 people | 175,451 people | 189,921 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 179,812 people | 167,689 people | 189,403 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 151,273 people | 145,678 people | 164,091 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 139,010 people | 130,224 people | 146,145 people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
More work & labour data for Cape Verde
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 176.12 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 57.01 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 233.52 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 12.15 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.59 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 29,137 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 13,162 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 50.08 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.57 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in Cape Verde?
- Population by labor force status in Cape Verde was 130,224 people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 189,921 people in 1999.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 130,224 people in 2025.
- How does Cape Verde rank for population by labor force status?
- Cape Verde ranks 166th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cape Verde data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).