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Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper-middle income
Cabo Verde: the labour market
Labour force is 226,448 (2025), 174th of 187 in the world and 46th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 57.0% (2025), 129th of 187 in the world and 35th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 50.5% (2025), 117th of 187 in the world and 33rd of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Cabo Verde
Participation rate
Cabo VerdeSub-Saharan AfricaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Cabo Verde in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 226,4482025 | 174/187 | 46/47 | 153,739 | 204,374 | 196,815 | +4.9%since 2015 | 527m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 57.0%2025 | 129/187 | 35/47 | 58.3% | 59.1% | 53.4% | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 50.5%2025 | 117/187 | 33/47 | 44.1% | 51.3% | 46.8% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 50.2%2025 | 139/187 | 36/47 | 50.7% | 52.8% | 45.6% | −1.9 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 11.9%2025 | 27/187 | 11/47 | 13.0% | 10.7% | 14.7% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 11.4%2025 | 40/187 | 14/47 | 13.3% | 10.9% | 13.7% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 28.4%2025 | 23/187 | 8/47 | 23.1% | 21.3% | 34.5% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 28.0%2019 | 39/170 | 19/44 | · | 35.0%2009 | 28.0%2019 | −7.0 ppsince 2009 | — | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 61.5%2025 | 105/187 | 8/47 | 53.8% | 58.8% | 59.5% | +1.8 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 34.3%2025 | 78/187 | 39/47 | 42.2% | 37.5% | 36.3% | −2.3 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 9.2%2025 | 112/187 | 45/47 | 19.8% | 15.1% | 11.2% | −5.0 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 23.1%2025 | 58/187 | 3/47 | 19.9% | 22.0% | 21.5% | +1.3 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 67.7%2025 | 69/187 | 3/47 | 60.3% | 62.9% | 67.3% | +3.7 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Female unemployment−1.0 pp11.4% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.2 pp28.4% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−7.0 pp28.0% in 2019
- Wage workers+1.8 pp61.5% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−1.4 pp50.5% in 2025
- Employment rate−1.9 pp50.2% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
nearest countries
Cabo Verde and its nearest countries
Cabo Verde has no land border; compared with the closest countries by distance between capitals. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Cabo Verde | Senegal | The Gambia | Mauritania | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 226,4482025 | 6.1m2025 | 807,2752025 | 1.2m2025 | 899,2202025 |
| Participation rate | 57.0%2025 | 52.0%2025 | 47.5%2025 | 40.8%2025 | 64.8%2025 |
| Women's participation | 50.5%2025 | 38.2%2025 | 45.5%2025 | 26.2%2025 | 60.3%2025 |
| Employment rate | 50.2%2025 | 50.6%2025 | 44.4%2025 | 36.6%2025 | 63.1%2025 |
| Unemployment | 11.9%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 6.5%2025 | 10.3%2025 | 2.7%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 11.4%2025 | 3.1%2025 | 6.1%2025 | 14.7%2025 | 1.9%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 28.4%2025 | 3.6%2025 | 10.9%2025 | 22.9%2025 | 2.8%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 28.0%2019 | 34.3%2025 | 36.5%2025 | 44.1%2019 | 13.2%2022 |
| Wage workers | 61.5%2025 | 35.7%2025 | 31.4%2025 | 42.6%2025 | 24.5%2025 |