Cape Verde Population
Cape Verde had an estimated population of 527,326 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 172nd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.01% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.47% a year.
Cape Verde at a glance
How Cape Verde's population is changing
Cape Verde's population is growing: +0.47% a year, which works out to about +2,455 people per year, or +7 a day. Births (12.2 per 1,000) and deaths (5.1 per 1,000) alone would give +0.71% a year; net migration removes about 1,284 people a year (−0.24%). Roughly one in every 15,579 people on Earth lives in Cape Verde.
Population of Cape Verde since 1960
In 1960, Cape Verde had 210,024 people. By 2025 that was 527,326 — 2.5× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 37%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 210,024 | — |
| 1970 | 287,885 | +37.1% |
| 1980 | 323,301 | +12.3% |
| 1990 | 375,428 | +16.1% |
| 2000 | 453,317 | +20.7% |
| 2010 | 509,784 | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 514,679 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 527,326 | +2.5% |
Cape Verde from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Cape Verde at about 55,716 people in 1800; the UN estimates 527,333 in 2025 (9× 1800) and projects 416,947 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2051 at 566,201 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 55,716 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 76,470 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 151,362 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 184,986 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 453,335 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 527,333 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 566,142 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 518,979 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 416,947 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Cape Verde
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 527,326. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Praia | 137,868 | GeoNames settlement | 26.14% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 2 | Mindelo | 73,431 | UN urban centre | 13.93% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Espargos | 24,500 | GeoNames settlement | 4.65% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Assomada | 21,297 | GeoNames settlement | 4.04% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Tarrafal | 13,483 | GeoNames settlement | 2.56% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Porto Novo | 11,138 | GeoNames settlement | 2.11% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Sal Rei | 10,936 | GeoNames settlement | 2.07% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | São Filipe | 10,097 | GeoNames settlement | 1.91% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Pedra Badejo | 10,038 | GeoNames settlement | 1.90% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Santa Cruz | 9,488 | GeoNames settlement | 1.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Cape Verde compares
Cape Verde has almost the same population as Maldives (529,676).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Cape Verde | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #170 |  Malta | 579,704 | +10% | compare → |
| #171 |  Maldives | 529,676 | +0% | compare → |
| #173 |  Brunei | 466,330 | −12% | compare → |
| #174 |  Belize | 422,924 | −20% | compare → |
Compare Cape Verde with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Cape Verde
Nearest countries
Cape Verde has no land border. Closest by distance:
Senegal 18,931,966 · 35.9× the population · compare
Gambia 2,822,093 · 5.4× the population · compare
Mauritania 5,315,065 · 10.1× the population · compare
Guinea-Bissau 2,249,515 · 4.3× the population · compare
In its region
Cape Verde is the 46th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 0.0% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Praia, Mindelo, Espargos, Assomada, Tarrafal, Porto Novo, Sal Rei, São Filipe — all Cape Verde's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Cape Verde when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.