Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cape Verde recorded 0.2% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde peaked at 2.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2020.
Cape Verde ranks 128th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2.2% | — |
| 1989 | 0.8% | -63.2% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | -67.3% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +12.8% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -24.0% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | +18.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -16.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | +19.9% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -16.8% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -0.1% |
Cape Verde compared with similar countries
- Cape Verde's 0.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 43% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Cape Verde's 0.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -67.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| 1989 | -63.2% | 2.2% | 0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.5% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
More reference data data for Cape Verde
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0737 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 33.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 33.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 53.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 39.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 39.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 127.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 15.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 92.15 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Cape Verde was 0.2% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2020.
- How does Cape Verde rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Cape Verde ranks 128th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cape Verde data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.