External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP was -11.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP in Cape Verde, 1980–2025
Source: National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Cape Verde recorded -11.4% for external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp in Cape Verde peaked at -10.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, -57.8%, in 1986.
Cape Verde ranks 135th of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | -49.9% | — |
| 1981 | -49.2% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | -56.3% | +14.3% |
| 1983 | -53.2% | -5.5% |
| 1984 | -54.9% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | -56.5% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | -57.8% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | -47.6% | -17.6% |
| 1988 | -42.8% | -10.2% |
| 1989 | -43.0% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | -51.7% | +20.2% |
| 1991 | -47.8% | -7.5% |
| 1992 | -49.4% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | -33.8% | -31.6% |
| 1994 | -41.5% | +22.7% |
| 1995 | -43.2% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | -35.1% | -18.8% |
| 1997 | -31.1% | -11.4% |
| 1998 | -36.3% | +16.7% |
| 1999 | -39.0% | +7.5% |
| 2000 | -33.5% | -14.1% |
| 2001 | -32.5% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | -36.0% | +10.6% |
| 2003 | -36.0% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | -37.6% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | -28.8% | -23.3% |
| 2006 | -27.6% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | -26.7% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | -22.3% | -16.6% |
| 2009 | -22.4% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | -25.0% | +11.6% |
| 2011 | -24.8% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | -15.7% | -36.6% |
| 2013 | -11.1% | -29.2% |
| 2014 | -16.8% | +50.9% |
| 2015 | -11.7% | -30.2% |
| 2016 | -12.4% | +5.9% |
| 2017 | -15.9% | +28.0% |
| 2018 | -14.1% | -11.2% |
| 2019 | -10.2% | -27.9% |
| 2020 | -27.8% | +172.8% |
| 2021 | -29.8% | +7.0% |
| 2022 | -19.6% | -34.0% |
| 2023 | -16.5% | -16.1% |
| 2024 | -11.5% | -29.9% |
| 2025 | -11.4% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -51.1% | -57.8% | -42.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | -40.9% | -51.7% | -31.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | -30.3% | -37.6% | -22.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | -15.8% | -25.0% | -10.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -19.4% | -29.8% | -11.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
More economy & growth data for Cape Verde
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), annual growth rate 60.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4119 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per capita 2,387 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 16.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.2286 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 1,325 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 11.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 22.37 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 129,653 current LCU per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) 9.17 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp in Cape Verde?
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp in Cape Verde was -11.4% in 2025, according to National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp recorded in Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was -10.2% in 2019.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was -57.8% in 1986.
- How does Cape Verde rank for external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp?
- Cape Verde ranks 135th out of 191 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services as a percent of gdp rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cape Verde data come from?
- The figures come from National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Exports of goods and services minus imports of goods and services divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.