Cabo Verde population pyramid 2026
529,630 people in 2026 (projected). Cabo Verde’s fertility fell from nearly 7 to 1.5 in fifty years, leaving a 0–4 band a third narrower than 5–9, and emigration has long shaped the pyramid.
- 2026 population
- 529.6Krank 175 of 237
- Median age
- 29.5 yearsoldest rank 140
- Fertility rate
- 1.49births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Transitional7.5% age 65+
Cabo Verde population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Cabo Verde age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 23.8% of the population, while 7.5% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 68.7% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Cabo Verde’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 45.6: about 46 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (34.7 children and 10.9 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Cabo Verde’s population pyramid
Fifty years from large to small families
As recently as 1970 Cabo Verde’s total fertility rate was about 6.9 children per woman. It fell to 3.6 by 2000, 2.3 by 2010 and 1.5 by 2023, among the lowest levels in sub-Saharan Africa. The pyramid shows the speed of this change: in 2026 the 0–4 band, about 31,000 children, is roughly a third smaller than the 5–9 band, and the median age has risen from about 17 in 2000 to almost 30. The age structure now resembles those of Fiji, India and Ecuador more than those of its West African neighbours.
A nation shaped by departure
Emigration has been part of Cabo Verdean life for generations, and the islands’ diaspora, in the United States, Portugal, the Netherlands and elsewhere, is widely reported to be larger than the resident population. The UN estimates net emigration of about 170,000 between 1950 and 1999 and 91,000 between 2000 and 2023, against a population that was only about 185,000 in 1950.
In 1950, after decades in which emigrants were mostly men and after severe famines in the 1940s, women outnumbered men at every age from 10 upward, by about two to one above 55. The 2026 pyramid shows the reverse: men outnumber women at ages 20–54, by about 14% at 25–29. This is consistent with more women than men emigrating at those ages in recent decades, although the chart alone cannot confirm the cause. The 25–29 band (born 1997–2001) is also a notch about 10% smaller than its neighbours. Above 60 women again predominate, with a six-year life-expectancy gap.
The guide to types of population pyramids shows how quickly Cabo Verde has moved from one type to another. Under the UN medium scenario the population peaks at about 566,000 in 2051, and by 2100 about 36% of residents are 65 or over.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Cabo Verde’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2055. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2050.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Cabo Verde is projected to record 6,330 births (about 17 births a day) and 2,759 deaths, a natural increase of 3,571. Net migration adds −1,338 people, ranking #192 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 229,134 births, 64,489 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −90,851. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −25,868 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 79.7 years45.9 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 73.4 years43.6 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 17.0 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 8.8per 1,000 births · 139 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 10.8per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 28.9 yearssex ratio at birth 103.3
Women in Cabo Verde are projected to live 6.3 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 139 to 8.8 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #125 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 28.9 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Cabo Verde
The median age of 29.5 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.49 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 76.6 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 529,630 | #175 | Largest first |
| Median age | 29.5 years | #140 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.49 | #171 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.4% | #143 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 76.6 years | #109 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 7.5% | #140 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Cabo Verde
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10–14 | 49,113 | 9.3% | 25.2K / 23.9K |
| 2 | 15–19 | 48,746 | 9.2% | 25.3K / 23.5K |
| 3 | 30–34 | 46,473 | 8.8% | 24.1K / 22.3K |
| 4 | 35–39 | 46,146 | 8.7% | 23.8K / 22.3K |
| 5 | 5–9 | 45,715 | 8.6% | 23.5K / 22.2K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Cabo Verde has 269,286 males and 260,344 females. That is 103.4 males per 100 females, ranking #32 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.8% of the population and females for 49.2%. There are 8,942 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 67.5 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 103.3 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, slightly below the typical value of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Cabo Verde has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 184,972 in 1950 to 529,630 in 2026, a change of 186%. Over the same span, median age moved from 16.9 to 29.5 years.
The under-15 share changed from 44.1% to 23.8%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.7% to 7.5%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Cabo Verde’s population is projected to grow by about 7%, reaching 566,134 in 2050. The median age changes from 29.5 to 40.8 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 9.0 percentage points to 16.5%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 15.6%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 566,201 in 2051. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 184,972 | 16.9 | 6.50 | 44.9 | 8,632 | 3,775 | −2,685 | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 210,024 | 17.9 | 6.88 | 48.7 | 10,066 | 3,968 | −2,267 | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 287,885 | 16.0 | 6.93 | 56.6 | 11,681 | 3,803 | +172 | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 323,301 | 15.0 | 6.38 | 61.0 | 13,816 | 3,540 | −5,980 | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 375,428 | 15.9 | 5.36 | 63.9 | 15,087 | 3,348 | −2,398 | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 453,318 | 17.4 | 3.55 | 68.1 | 12,631 | 2,879 | −2,772 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 509,784 | 21.5 | 2.33 | 72.5 | 10,410 | 2,663 | −5,069 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 514,680 | 26.4 | 1.59 | 73.8 | 6,764 | 3,030 | −3,362 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 522,330 | 27.9 | 1.52 | 76.1 | 6,440 | 2,642 | −1,226 | +0.5% |
| 2024* | 524,877 | 28.4 | 1.51 | 76.2 | 6,415 | 2,675 | −1,209 | +0.5% |
| 2026* | 529,630 | 29.5 | 1.49 | 76.6 | 6,330 | 2,759 | −1,338 | +0.4% |
| 2030* | 538,614 | 31.6 | 1.47 | 77.2 | 6,236 | 2,968 | −971 | +0.4% |
| 2040* | 557,374 | 36.0 | 1.48 | 79.0 | 6,220 | 3,720 | −991 | +0.3% |
| 2050* | 566,134 | 40.8 | 1.50 | 80.6 | 5,549 | 4,546 | −871 | +0.0% |
| 2060* | 558,428 | 45.8 | 1.50 | 82.3 | 4,312 | 5,395 | −570 | -0.3% |
| 2070* | 534,406 | 50.6 | 1.52 | 83.7 | 4,121 | 6,495 | −561 | -0.6% |
| 2080* | 501,052 | 52.1 | 1.53 | 85.1 | 3,820 | 7,245 | −428 | -0.8% |
| 2090* | 459,735 | 52.5 | 1.53 | 86.3 | 3,168 | 7,255 | −216 | -0.9% |
| 2100* | 416,940 | 53.4 | 1.54 | 87.6 | 2,927 | 7,090 | −63 | -1.0% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 15,949 | 15,456 | 31,405 | 5.9% |
| 5–9 | 23,485 | 22,230 | 45,715 | 8.6% |
| 10–14 | 25,229 | 23,884 | 49,113 | 9.3% |
| 15–19 | 25,284 | 23,462 | 48,746 | 9.2% |
| 20–24 | 23,333 | 21,063 | 44,396 | 8.4% |
| 25–29 | 21,814 | 19,096 | 40,910 | 7.7% |
| 30–34 | 24,136 | 22,337 | 46,473 | 8.8% |
| 35–39 | 23,806 | 22,340 | 46,146 | 8.7% |
| 40–44 | 20,228 | 18,672 | 38,900 | 7.3% |
| 45–49 | 16,448 | 14,524 | 30,972 | 5.8% |
| 50–54 | 12,607 | 11,678 | 24,285 | 4.6% |
| 55–59 | 11,162 | 11,257 | 22,419 | 4.2% |
| 60–64 | 9,871 | 10,748 | 20,619 | 3.9% |
| 65–69 | 7,231 | 8,696 | 15,927 | 3.0% |
| 70–74 | 4,257 | 6,086 | 10,343 | 2.0% |
| 75–79 | 2,566 | 4,337 | 6,903 | 1.3% |
| 80–84 | 1,149 | 2,447 | 3,596 | 0.7% |
| 85–89 | 550 | 1,432 | 1,982 | 0.4% |
| 90–94 | 159 | 509 | 668 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 21 | 84 | 105 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Cabo Verde’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Fiji96% overlap · median age 28.3
- South Africa96% overlap · median age 28.9
- India96% overlap · median age 29.2
- Ecuador95% overlap · median age 29.7
- Malaysia95% overlap · median age 31.4
- Dominican Republic95% overlap · median age 28.7
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Cabo Verde.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Cabo Verde Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/cabo-verde/
MLA
“Cabo Verde Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/cabo-verde/.
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World Population Pyramid. “Cabo Verde Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/cabo-verde/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Cabo Verde in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Cabo Verde's population in 2026 is projected at 529,630.
What is the median age in Cabo Verde?
The projected median age in Cabo Verde in 2026 is 29.5 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Cabo Verde?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.49 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Cabo Verde's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 7%, from 529.6K to 566.1K.
What share of Cabo Verde is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 7.5% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 16.5%.
How many babies are born in Cabo Verde each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 6,330 births and 2,759 deaths in 2026, about 17 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 3,571.
What is life expectancy in Cabo Verde for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 79.7 years for women and 73.4 years for men, a gap of 6.3 years in favour of women.
Does Cabo Verde have more immigrants or emigrants?
Cabo Verde is projected to lose about 1,338 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −90,851.
What is the sex ratio in Cabo Verde?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 103.4 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.