Where Cape Verdeans move
146.4K Cape Verdeans live abroad — #142 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Cape Verde? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 83% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Portugal | 76835 |
| France | 34814 |
| Angola | 9497 |
| Luxembourg | 8211 |
| Mozambique | 7107 |
| Italy | 5847 |
| Brazil | 1430 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 1115 |
| Norway | 451 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 338 |
| Colombia | 255 |
| Bolivia | 157 |
| Sierra Leone | 82 |
| Iceland | 82 |
| Denmark | 43 |
| Togo | 39 |
| Guinea | 30 |
| Hungary | 22 |
| Finland | 15 |
| Greece | 13 |
| Bulgaria | 7 |
| Slovenia | 3 |
| Dominican Republic | 3 |
| Estonia | 0 |
| Latvia | 0 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 86%
126.3K
18.2K
1.8K
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Cape Verde.
Portugal is the primary destination for emigrants
Portugal attracts 52% of all emigrants from Cape Verde, while the second-largest destination receives just 24%.
A significant share of the population lives abroad
1 in 4 residents of Cape Verde has emigrated — 146.4K out of 524.9K, representing 27.9% of the population.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 51800 |
| 1995 | 63673 |
| 2000 | 76121 |
| 2005 | 92475 |
| 2010 | 99281 |
| 2015 | 116450 |
| 2020 | 133491 |
| 2024 | 146396 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Portugal | France | Angola | Luxembourg | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 30179 | 7645 | 3569 | 1148 | 2500 |
| 1995 | 36695 | 10104 | 4147 | 1278 | 3439 |
| 2000 | 44701 | 13572 | 4724 | 1422 | 4001 |
| 2005 | 53008 | 18434 | 6209 | 1234 | 5495 |
| 2010 | 52513 | 22975 | 7558 | 1060 | 6262 |
| 2015 | 59532 | 30310 | 8662 | 1617 | 6491 |
| 2020 | 68299 | 31783 | 9215 | 7108 | 6819 |
| 2024 | 76835 | 34814 | 9497 | 8211 | 7107 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Cape Verde as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Cape Verde