Society · Adult literacy rate · Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde’s adult literacy rate rose to 88.5% of adults in 2024.
88.5% of adults
2024
Up 1.7 pp from 2015.
Updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
88.5% of adults
What it is. The adult literacy rate is the share of adults who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life. The test is basic reading and writing, so it shows whether people can handle simple written material. It leaves out fluency with longer texts and skills such as numeracy, and young people below the adult age cut-off sit outside the count.
Higher is better. A higher rate is better because each extra point means more adults can use written information at work and in daily decisions. The latest figure, for 2024, is 88.5% of adults. Since 1990 the rate has climbed from a low of 62.8% of adults, and the 2024 reading is the highest in that span. It therefore sits at the top of its own range.
Why it matters. At 88.5% of adults, most people in Cabo Verde can read forms, medicine labels and job notices, which widens the pool of workers that firms can hire from. Adults in the remaining share depend on others when dealing with banks or public offices that rely on written forms. For the state, the gain since 1990 gives schooling and training programmes a broader base, and the next release will show whether the rate keeps rising beyond 2024.
| Period | Adult literacy rate · Cabo Verde |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 62.8% of adults |
| 2009 | 82.2% of adults |
| 2012 | 85.3% of adults |
| 2015 | 86.8% of adults |
| 2024 | 88.5% of adults |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Adult literacy rate, Cabo Verde, 2024; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/adult-literacy/cabo-verde
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Methodology
People aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life, as a share of that age group. Unit: % of adults. Literacy is measured in surveys and censuses, so new figures arrive every few years.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.