Cabo Verde’s fertility rate fell to 1.5 births per woman in 2024.

Neither way is good in itself. A higher rate brings more children to feed, school and house, while a lower rate means fewer young workers later, so the direction carries costs and benefits either way. The latest figure is 1.5 births per woman for 2024, level with 1.5 a year earlier, with a change of −0.01 births per woman, or 0.72 per cent. Since 2015 the rate has ranged from a high of 2 births per woman in 2015 to a low of 1.5 births per woman in 2024. The latest reading therefore sits at the bottom of its own range for the period.

Why it matters. At 1.5 births per woman, Cabo Verdean families are small, and each school-age cohort is likely to be smaller than the one before it. Over time the population ages, which shifts the state's spending towards pensions and health care. Firms can expect fewer young people entering the labour force, so training and retention become more important.