| Economy - overview | This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for 66% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of food production in GDP in 2004 was only 12%, of which fishing accounted for 1.5%. About 82% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program. Cape Verde has been exploring European Union membership in recent years. |
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| GDP | 0.7% (2005) |
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| GDP - real growth rate | 5.5% (2005 est.) |
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| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 12.1%
industry: 21.9%
services: 66% (2004 est.) |
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| Population below poverty line | 30% (2000) |
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Household income or consumption
by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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| Labor force | 120,600 (1990) |
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| Unemployment rate | 21% (2000 est.) |
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| Budget | revenues: $324.6 million
expenditures: $370.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
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| Industries | food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair |
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| Industrial production growth rate | NA% |
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Electricity -
production | 44 million kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity -
consumption | 40.92 million kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
exports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
imports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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| Oil - production | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
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| Oil - consumption | 1,150 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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| Oil - exports | NA bbl/day |
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| Oil - imports | NA bbl/day |
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| Agriculture - products | bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish |
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| Exports | $96.71 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Exports - commodities | fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides |
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| Exports - partners | Spain 38.2%, Portugal 33.3%, US 9.2%, Morocco 5.4% (2005) |
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| Imports | $495.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels |
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| Imports - partners | Portugal 40.8%, Italy 7.8%, Netherlands 7.2%, Spain 5.4%, Brazil 5.3%, France 4.7%, Belgium 4.6% (2005) |
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| Debt - external | $325 million (2002) |
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| Economic aid - recipient | $136 million (1999) |
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| Currency code | CVE |
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| Exchange rates | Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003), 117.168 (2002) |
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| Fiscal year | calendar year |
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