Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Cabo Verde

One in every 20,811 babies in the world is born here: about 6,445 a year, 0.012 a minute.

Population: 527,326
Births a year: 6,445
Life expectancy: 76.2
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 11.1

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
79.4
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
73.1
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
10.6
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
11.1
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
40
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.9
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
6
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
26.8
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
7
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
1.51
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
8
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
93
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
96
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
24
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 31.9
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$10,396
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
42
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
14.6
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
11.9
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
9
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
50
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
26
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
78
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
98
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
92
World: 91
Internet users (%)
75
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
≈ 4.39
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 48.6 → 2026: 75.9 → 2050: 80.7

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 171 → 2026: 10 → 2050: 4

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.9 → 2026: 1.5 → 2050: 1.5

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 7 → 2026: 78 → 2050: 94

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Cabo Verde comes up about once in every 20,811 lives.

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.