Cape Verde
Cape Verde is an upper-middle-income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with its capital at Praia. 98.4% of its people had electricity in 2024.
- Electricity access
- 98.4%
- 2024, world 91.9%
- Renewable electricity
- 18.3%
- 2021, world 27.8%
- CO₂ per person
- 1.29 t
- 2024, world 4.69 t
- Clean cooking
- 89.0%
- 2024, world 75.4%
- GDP per person
- 5,796
- 2025, world 14,406
Electricity generation mix
- Oil
- Coal
- Gas
- Hydro
- Nuclear
- Solar, wind & other
Cape Verde2021
Sub-Saharan Africa2024
World2024
View data table
| Economy | Oil | Coal | Gas | Hydro | Nuclear | Solar, wind & other | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 81.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 18.3% | 2021 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 5.0% | 42.9% | 14.0% | 29.9% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 2024 |
| World | 2.3% | 34.5% | 21.9% | 14.6% | 9.8% | 12.4% | 2024 |
Share of electricity production by source, latest year available. Shares may not sum to exactly 100% because of rounding and minor sources.
Access to electricity
% of population, compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.
- Cape Verde
- World
- Sub-Saharan Africa
0%
50%
100%
Cape VerdeWorldSub-Saharan Africa View data table
| Year | Cape Verde | World | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 98.4% | 91.9% | 55.1% |
| 2023 | 98.6% | 91.6% | 53.3% |
| 2022 | 97.1% | 91.3% | 51.5% |
| 2021 | 95.5% | 91.3% | 50.7% |
| 2020 | 93.7% | 90.4% | 48.5% |
| 2019 | 91.4% | 90.1% | 47.2% |
| 2018 | 90.2% | 89.8% | 46.4% |
| 2017 | 88.6% | 88.9% | 43.8% |
| 2016 | 87.5% | 88.1% | 43.8% |
| 2015 | 86.4% | 86.9% | 39.2% |
| 2014 | 85.3% | 86.2% | 38.4% |
| 2013 | 84.3% | 85.7% | 38.0% |
| 2012 | 83.2% | 84.9% | 36.8% |
| 2011 | 82.3% | 84.5% | 35.9% |
| 2010 | 81.1% | 83.5% | 33.3% |
| 2009 | 74.1% | 82.9% | 32.6% |
| 2008 | 72.3% | 82.7% | 32.4% |
| 2007 | 70.5% | 82.0% | 32.5% |
| 2006 | 68.8% | 81.4% | 31.2% |
| 2005 | 67.0% | 80.7% | 29.4% |
| 2004 | 65.4% | 80.0% | 29.4% |
| 2003 | 63.7% | 80.0% | 29.6% |
| 2002 | 58.6% | 79.1% | 27.3% |
| 2001 | 60.3% | 78.7% | 26.2% |
| 2000 | 58.6% | 78.2% | 25.7% |
| 1999 | – | 74.5% | 30.1% |
| 1998 | – | 73.2% | 28.6% |
| 1997 | – | – | 28.4% |
| 1996 | – | – | 28.5% |
Energy production and use
| Measure | Latest | Year | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil consumption | 5 thousand b/d | 2024 | 183 of 216 |
| Electricity generation | 0.5 TWh | 2024 | 174 of 211 |
| Renewable generation | 0.2 TWh | 2024 | 160 of 206 |
| Primary energy consumption | 0.01 quad Btu | 2024 | 184 of 215 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
Power generation, 2024
Cape Verde generated 0.5 TWh of electricity in 2024, 31% of it from low-carbon sources, at 463 grams of CO₂ per kWh.
Source: Ember, yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0).
Cape Verde in world rankings
- Oil consumption#179 of 203
- Electricity generation#171 of 202
- Renewable generation#157 of 200
- Primary energy consumption#180 of 203
- Clean electricity share#107 of 190
- Grid carbon intensity#97 of 190
- Solar share of electricity#30 of 169
- Wind share of electricity#19 of 103
Emissions
CO₂ per person, tonnes, excluding land use.
- Cape Verde
- World
- Sub-Saharan Africa
0 t
2 t
4 t
6 t
WorldCape VerdeSub-Saharan Africa View data table
| Year | Cape Verde | World | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.29 t | 4.69 t | 0.70 t |
| 2023 | 1.25 t | 4.68 t | 0.70 t |
| 2022 | 1.31 t | 4.67 t | 0.72 t |
| 2021 | 1.25 t | 4.68 t | 0.75 t |
| 2020 | 1.22 t | 4.47 t | 0.73 t |
| 2019 | 1.63 t | 4.70 t | 0.79 t |
| 2018 | 1.55 t | 4.73 t | 0.80 t |
| 2017 | 1.73 t | 4.67 t | 0.80 t |
| 2016 | 1.62 t | 4.65 t | 0.81 t |
| 2015 | 1.54 t | 4.70 t | 0.82 t |
| 2014 | 1.51 t | 4.78 t | 0.86 t |
| 2013 | 1.43 t | 4.81 t | 0.85 t |
| 2012 | 1.46 t | 4.77 t | 0.82 t |
| 2011 | 1.70 t | 4.76 t | 0.82 t |
| 2010 | 1.47 t | 4.67 t | 0.84 t |
| 2009 | 1.40 t | 4.45 t | 0.82 t |
| 2008 | 1.45 t | 4.56 t | 0.89 t |
| 2007 | 1.51 t | 4.59 t | 0.86 t |
| 2006 | 1.35 t | 4.48 t | 0.86 t |
| 2005 | 1.25 t | 4.39 t | 0.89 t |
| 2004 | 0.81 t | 4.28 t | 0.89 t |
| 2003 | 0.77 t | 4.15 t | 0.86 t |
| 2002 | 0.77 t | 4.02 t | 0.84 t |
| 2001 | 0.71 t | 4.01 t | 0.85 t |
| 2000 | 0.62 t | 4.01 t | 0.85 t |
| 1999 | 0.22 t | 3.95 t | 0.85 t |
| 1998 | 0.21 t | 3.98 t | 0.89 t |
| 1997 | 0.21 t | 4.02 t | 0.91 t |
| 1996 | 0.22 t | 4.01 t | 0.90 t |
| 1995 | 0.18 t | 3.99 t | 0.87 t |
Currency
98.51 CVE
per US dollar, mid-market reference. 1 CVE = ₦13.51
Sunshine in Praia
6.2 kWh/m² today
- We6.2 kWh per square metre
- Th6.2 kWh per square metre
- Fr6.1 kWh per square metre
- Sa6.1 kWh per square metre
- Su6.1 kWh per square metre
- Mo5.6 kWh per square metre
- Tu5.7 kWh per square metre
Open-Meteo forecast, modelled irradiation.
Power plants
Installed capacity by fuel
4 plants, 93 MW recorded in WRI’s Global Power Plant Database.
- Oil88 MW
- Solar5 MW
Snapshot as of the database’s 2021 release; newer plants are not included. Nameplate capacity, not available generation.
Largest plants
| Plant | Fuel | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmarejo | Oil | 66 | – |
| Palmeira Electra | Oil | 12 | – |
| Praia | Oil | 10 | – |
| Praia | Solar | 5 | – |
All indicators
Cape Verde in numbers
Energy access
| Indicator | Cape Verde | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to electricity % of population | 98.4% | 2024 | 55.1% | 91.9% |
| Access to electricity, rural % of rural population | 97.7% | 2024 | 35.7% | 84.9% |
| Access to electricity, urban % of urban population | 98.6% | 2024 | 82.9% | 97.8% |
| Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking % of population | 89.0% | 2024 | 22.9% | 75.4% |
Power supply and mix
| Indicator | Cape Verde | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity production from coal % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 42.9% | 34.5% |
| Electricity production from natural gas % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 14.0% | 21.9% |
| Electricity production from oil % of total | 81.7% | 2021 | 5.0% | 2.3% |
| Electricity production from nuclear % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 2.5% | 9.8% |
| Electricity production from hydroelectric sources % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 29.9% | 14.6% |
| Electric power transmission and distribution losses % of output | – | 13.4% | 6.9% | |
| Electric power consumption per capita kWh per capita | – | 380 kWh | 3,708 kWh |
Energy transition
| Indicator | Cape Verde | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity production from renewables, excluding hydro % of total | 18.3% | 2021 | 4.3% | 12.4% |
| Renewable electricity output % of total electricity output | 18.3% | 2021 | 32.6% | 27.8% |
| Renewable energy consumption % of total final energy consumption | 21.8% | 2022 | 70.3% | 19.7% |
| CO₂ emissions per capita (excluding LULUCF) t CO₂e per capita | 1.29 t | 2024 | 0.70 t | 4.69 t |
| CO₂ emissions, total (excluding LULUCF) Mt CO₂e | 0.7 Mt | 2024 | 896.3 Mt | 39,632.7 Mt |
| Energy intensity of primary energy MJ per $2017 PPP GDP | 2.17 MJ/$ | 2022 | 6.14 MJ/$ | 4.54 MJ/$ |
Energy economy
| Indicator | Cape Verde | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel exports % of merchandise exports | 0.0% | 2023 | 40.9% | 9.5% |
| Oil rents % of GDP | 0.00% | 2021 | 3.80% | 1.36% |
| Natural gas rents % of GDP | 0.00% | 2021 | 0.49% | 0.52% |
| GDP per capita current US$ | 5,796 | 2025 | 1,673 | 14,406 |
| Population, total people | 527,326 | 2025 | 1.3B | 8.2B |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0). Latest year available per series.