Employment by status in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Employment by status was 61.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Cape Verde, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, employment by status in Cape Verde stood at 61.1%. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Cape Verde peaked at 61.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 47.3%, in 1991.
That places Cape Verde 107th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 47.3% | — |
| 1992 | 47.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 48.1% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 48.8% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 49.5% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 50.4% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 51.2% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 52.0% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 52.9% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 53.8% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 54.4% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 55.0% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 55.5% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 55.9% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 56.3% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 56.8% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 57.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 58.0% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 58.5% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 58.8% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 59.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 59.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 59.5% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 59.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 59.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 59.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 58.9% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 59.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 59.9% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 59.5% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 59.8% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 60.3% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 60.7% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 61.1% | +0.7% |
Cape Verde compared with similar countries
- Cape Verde's 61.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.6%, 90% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Cape Verde's 61.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 2.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.8% | 47.3% | 52.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 56.2% | 53.8% | 58.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.3% | 58.8% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.3% | 59.5% | 61.1% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Cape Verde?
- Employment by status in Cape Verde was 61.1% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 61.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.3% in 1991.
- How does Cape Verde rank for employment by status?
- Cape Verde ranks 107th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cape Verde data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.