Rural population in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Rural population was 117,962 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Cape Verde, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Cape Verde stood at 117,962. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 30.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Cape Verde peaked at 247,562 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 117,962, in 2025.
That places Cape Verde 169th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 196,372 | — |
| 1961 | 200,902 | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 205,891 | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 210,258 | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 213,765 | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 216,656 | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 219,219 | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 221,762 | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 224,621 | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 228,148 | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 232,210 | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 235,224 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 236,501 | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 237,363 | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 238,553 | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 240,285 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 242,259 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 243,938 | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 245,346 | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 246,444 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 247,453 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 247,562 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 245,919 | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 242,670 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 238,089 | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 232,635 | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 226,775 | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 220,918 | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 215,526 | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 211,325 | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 209,759 | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 209,997 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 210,223 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 210,453 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 210,654 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 210,743 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 210,679 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 210,487 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 210,131 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 209,549 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 208,829 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 208,162 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 207,507 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 206,728 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 205,804 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 204,729 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 203,489 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 202,011 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 200,170 | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 197,869 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 194,751 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 190,555 | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 185,706 | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 180,566 | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 175,172 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 169,579 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 163,836 | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 157,971 | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 151,986 | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 145,875 | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 139,561 | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 133,498 | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 129,760 | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 125,848 | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 121,918 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | 117,962 | -3.2% |
Cape Verde compared with similar countries
- Cape Verde's 117,962 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.53 million, 8% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Cape Verde's 117,962 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 million, 1% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 213,759 | 196,372 | 228,148 | 10 |
| 1970s | 239,812 | 232,210 | 246,444 | 10 |
| 1980s | 232,887 | 211,325 | 247,562 | 10 |
| 1990s | 210,268 | 209,549 | 210,743 | 10 |
| 2000s | 204,530 | 197,869 | 208,829 | 10 |
| 2010s | 171,600 | 145,875 | 194,751 | 10 |
| 2020s | 128,091 | 117,962 | 139,561 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
- 166 Puerto Rico 180,246 compare
- 167 Uruguay 147,108 compare
- 168 Saint Lucia 127,732 compare
- 170 Brunei 116,531 compare
- 171 Barbados 113,898 compare
- 172 Channel Islands 113,473 compare
More agriculture & rural data for Cape Verde
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 14.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0504 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 291.98 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -3.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2237 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 5.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 5.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Cape Verde?
- Rural population in Cape Verde was 117,962 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 247,562 in 1981.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 117,962 in 2025.
- How does Cape Verde rank for rural population?
- Cape Verde ranks 169th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cape Verde data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.