Cabo Verde — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Cabo Verde, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Cabo Verde was 11.94% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 14.65% in 2020. The lowest was 10.67% in 2010 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.37% per year.
Cabo Verde ranks 27 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 14%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Cabo Verde sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 19% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 0%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 11 of 47 economies; Rwanda (11.36%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 21% in 2010. That is 4% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 32nd of 187 in 1991 → 37th of 187 in 2000 → 52nd of 187 in 2010 → 31st of 187 in 2020 → 25th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11.94% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 11.88% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 11.88% | -0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 12.24% | -1.7 pp |
| 2021 | 13.93% | -0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 14.65% | +2.5 pp |
| 2019 | 12.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 12.17% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 12.24% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 12.09% | +0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 11.92% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 11.69% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 11.4% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 11.15% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 10.96% | +0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 10.67% | -2.8 pp |
| 2009 | 13.52% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 13.31% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 13.29% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 13.38% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 13.44% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 13.46% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 13.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 13.38% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 13.24% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 13.02% | -0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 13.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 13.06% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 13.01% | +0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 12.84% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 12.88% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 12.94% | -0.3 pp |
| 1993 | 13.28% | -0.2 pp |
| 1992 | 13.43% | -0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 13.53% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Cabo Verde’s Unemployment in 1992?
13.43% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Cabo Verde’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -11.7% in total — about 0.4% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 11.94%; 2024: 11.88%; 2023: 11.88%; 2022: 12.24%; 2021: 13.93%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.