Military spending as a share of GDP in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.5% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.5%
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
155th
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 1981
All-time low
0.4%
in 2010
Years of data
45
1975–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cape Verde, 1975–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in Cape Verde stood at 0.5%.
The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Cape Verde peaked at 3.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2010.
Cape Verde ranks 155th of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.8% | — |
| 1976 | 1.9% | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 1978 | 1.7% | -8.8% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | -9.1% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | +66.4% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +27.5% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -13.4% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | -14.4% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | -10.0% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | -15.7% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | -6.3% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | -8.0% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -17.0% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | -9.5% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -12.1% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -14.5% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -15.5% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -5.5% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -10.7% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -8.2% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.2% | 1.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
More economy & growth data for Cape Verde
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 6.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0822 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 476.24 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 6.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 8.17 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 47,331 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 11.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6792 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 3,937 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 6.72 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Cape Verde?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Cape Verde was 0.5% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2010.
- How does Cape Verde rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Cape Verde ranks 155th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cape Verde data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).