Summary
- Exports
- $80million
- Imports
- $1billion
- Trade balance
- -$945million
Products
What it exports
Prepared fish and caviar (63.7%) and ferrous scrap (4.1%) together make up 67.8% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (11.5%) and cars (5.1%) together make up 16.6% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $51 million | $30 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $4 million | $4 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $3 million | $23 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $3 million | $2 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $3 million | $6 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $2 million | $80 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $2 million | $55 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $2 million | $3 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $2 million | $10 million |
| 74 · Copper | $1 million | $1 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $1 million | $10 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $801 thousand | $24 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $775 thousand | $8 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $674 thousand | $28 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $519 thousand | $19 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $439 thousand | $13 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $294 thousand | $11 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $239 thousand | $19 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $219 thousand | $19 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $213 thousand | $81 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $172 thousand | $42 thousand |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $145 thousand | $159 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $116 thousand | $16 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $116 thousand | $2 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $109 thousand | $4 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $102 thousand | $4 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $80 thousand | $23 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $77 thousand | $123 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $67 thousand | $14 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $61 thousand | $8 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $56 thousand | $16 million |
| 70 · Glass | $52 thousand | $9 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $47 thousand | $29 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $37 thousand | $3 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $31 thousand | $5 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $23 thousand | $9 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $21 thousand | $12 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $20 thousand | $4 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $17 thousand | $44 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $17 thousand | $1 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $16 thousand | $6 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $13 thousand | $2 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $12 thousand | $2 million |
| 44 · Wood | $10 thousand | $15 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $9 thousand | $35 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $8 thousand | $3 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $8 thousand | $310 thousand |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $7 thousand | $5 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $7 thousand | $904 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $5 thousand | $316 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $5 thousand | $5 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $4 thousand | $167 thousand |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $4 thousand | $9 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $4 thousand | $3 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $3 thousand | $17 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $3 thousand | $188 thousand |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $3 thousand | $163 thousand |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $3 thousand | $7 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $3 thousand | $1 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $2 thousand | $303 thousand |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $1 thousand | $4 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $1 thousand | $173 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $912 | $250 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $662 | $95 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $422 | $852 thousand |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $264 | $19 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $198 | $185 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $64 | $632 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $61 | $579 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $51 | $18 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $38 | $256 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $32 | $2 thousand |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $20 | $14 million |
| 50 · Silk | $17 | $693 |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $15 | $629 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $15 | $4 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $12 | $78 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $8 | $972 thousand |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $6 | $37 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $3 | $685 thousand |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $33 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $0 | $14 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $663 thousand |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $0 | $482 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $437 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $287 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $239 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $186 thousand |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $0 | $168 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $141 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $119 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $106 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $91 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $0 | $18 thousand |
| 78 · Lead | $0 | $4 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $0 | $286 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Spain (52.8% of exports) and its main source is Portugal (42.7% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 42 | 52.8% | Sea |
| Portugal | 11.2 | 14.1% | Sea |
| Italy | 10.6 | 13.3% | Sea |
| India | 5.3 | 6.7% | Sea |
| United States | 4.2 | 5.3% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 1.3% | — |
| Estonia | 0.82 | 1% | — |
| Gambia | 0.68 | 0.86% | — |
| Canada | 0.45 | 0.57% | — |
| Mozambique | 0.39 | 0.49% | — |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Cabo Verde accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 7-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 0.1
- Imports 1
- Balance -0.9
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $11 million | $219 million | -$208 million |
| 1996 | $17 million | $292 million | -$275 million |
| 1997 | $71 million | $288 million | -$217 million |
| 1998 | $51 million | $267 million | -$215 million |
| 1999 | $39 million | $315 million | -$276 million |
| 2000 | $53 million | $305 million | -$252 million |
| 2001 | $17 million | $305 million | -$289 million |
| 2002 | $23 million | $361 million | -$338 million |
| 2003 | $21 million | $396 million | -$375 million |
| 2004 | $24 million | $466 million | -$441 million |
| 2005 | $108 million | $478 million | -$371 million |
| 2006 | $145 million | $618 million | -$473 million |
| 2007 | $134 million | $800 million | -$666 million |
| 2008 | $50 million | $877 million | -$827 million |
| 2009 | $140 million | $734 million | -$594 million |
| 2010 | $196 million | $873 million | -$677 million |
| 2011 | $207 million | $1 billion | -$826 million |
| 2012 | $194 million | $809 million | -$615 million |
| 2013 | $137 million | $788 million | -$651 million |
| 2014 | $114 million | $834 million | -$720 million |
| 2015 | $97 million | $652 million | -$554 million |
| 2016 | $109 million | $827 million | -$718 million |
| 2017 | $108 million | $882 million | -$774 million |
| 2018 | $131 million | $887 million | -$756 million |
| 2019 | $229 million | $1.5 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2020 | $105 million | $1.2 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2021 | $202 million | $1.3 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2022 | $195 million | $1.8 billion | -$1.6 billion |
| 2023 | $165 million | $1.8 billion | -$1.7 billion |
| 2024 | $80 million | $1 billion | -$945 million |
World rank
Cabo Verde holds steady at 195th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 195th in 1995
- 195th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 195th |
| 1996 | 194th |
| 1997 | 175th |
| 1998 | 183rd |
| 1999 | 189th |
| 2000 | 193rd |
| 2001 | 203rd |
| 2002 | 203rd |
| 2003 | 202nd |
| 2004 | 200th |
| 2005 | 185th |
| 2006 | 186th |
| 2007 | 188th |
| 2008 | 199th |
| 2009 | 185th |
| 2010 | 182nd |
| 2011 | 186th |
| 2012 | 188th |
| 2013 | 190th |
| 2014 | 191st |
| 2015 | 195th |
| 2016 | 192nd |
| 2017 | 194th |
| 2018 | 192nd |
| 2019 | 182nd |
| 2020 | 194th |
| 2021 | 188th |
| 2022 | 190th |
| 2023 | 192nd |
| 2024 | 195th |
What it sells
Prepared meat and fish became its top export group: from 1% to 64%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 12%
- Woven clothing 2%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 2%
- Mechanical machinery 3%
- Footwear 3%
- Toys and sports gear 4%
- Iron and steel 4%
- Knitted clothing 5%
- Prepared meat and fish 64%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared meat and fish | 1.2% | 63.8% |
| Knitted clothing | 0.2% | 4.8% |
| Iron and steel | 0.06% | 4.1% |
| Toys and sports gear | 0.2% | 4% |
| Footwear | 47.6% | 3.5% |
| Mechanical machinery | 8.2% | 3% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| Woven clothing | 3.8% | 2.3% |
| Other | 36.9% | 12.3% |
Who it trades with
Portugal went from 55% to 41% of Cabo Verde's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Portugal 41%
- Spain 13%
- China 7%
- Netherlands 4%
- Brazil 4%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 55.1% | 40.7% |
| Spain | 2.4% | 12.8% |
| China | 0.16% | 7.1% |
| Netherlands | 8% | 4.5% |
| Brazil | 4.1% | 3.8% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.