Life Expectancy in Cape Verde (2024): Men 73.1, Women 79.4

Life expectancy in Cape Verde since 1960

Women
Men

Since 1960, life expectancy in Cape Verde has risen by 27.5 years, from 48.7 to 76.2. During the COVID-19 pandemic it fell by 1.6 years (from 75.4 in 2019 to 73.8 in 2020) and has since recovered. Women live 6.3 years longer than men (79.4 vs 73.1).

Expected age at death in Cape Verde by age

Life expectancy at birth includes deaths in childhood. Once people reach adulthood they can expect to live longer — here is the average expected age at death for people who have already reached each age:

Current age	Birth	20	40	60	80
Men	73.1	74.4	75.3	77.8	85.6
Women	79.4	80.8	81.6	83.2	88.8

Birth: World Bank. Other ages: our survival model calibrated to Cape Verde’s figures (method).

How people die in Cape Verde

Chronic diseases: 70.7%
Infections, maternal & nutritional: 16.8%
Injuries: 12.5%

In 2019, 71% of deaths in Cape Verde were caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (world: 74%). A Cape Verde man has a 23% chance and a woman 12% of dying of one of these diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 (world: 21% and 16%). Road traffic accidents kill 26.8 people per 100,000 each year (world: 16.7).

See which causes of death are most likely for you →

Child mortality

Out of every 1,000 babies born in Cape Verde, about 11.1 die before their fifth birthday (world: 37.4). This is one of the main reasons life expectancy at birth differs so much between countries.

Cape Verde compared with its region

Cape Verde is in the World Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa region, where the average life expectancy is 64.8 years. It ranks #2 of 48 countries there.

#	Country	Overall	Men	Women
1	Seychelles	76.3	72.1	80.7
2	Cape Verde	76.2	73.1	79.4
3	Mauritius	73.8	70.4	77.4
4	São Tomé and Príncipe	69.9	66.4	73.9
5	Botswana	69.3	66.8	71.9
6	Eritrea	68.9	66.8	70.9
7	Senegal	68.9	67.0	71.0
8	Mauritania	68.7	66.7	70.7
9	Gabon	68.5	66.1	71.2

See all 217 countries ranked →

Frequently asked questions

What is the life expectancy in Cape Verde?

76.2 years in 2024: 73.1 for men and 79.4 for women, according to the World Bank.

Do women live longer than men in Cape Verde?

Yes. Women in Cape Verde live about 6.3 years longer than men. Worldwide the gap is 4.9 years in favour of women.

How does Cape Verde rank for life expectancy?

Cape Verde ranks #98 out of 217 countries and territories with data. That is 2.7 years above the world average of 73.5.

What is the average age of death in Cape Verde?

Life expectancy at birth (76.2) is pulled down by deaths in childhood. Adults live longer: a 40-year-old man in Cape Verde can expect to live to about 75.3, and a 40-year-old woman to about 81.6.

Sources

World Bank, World Development Indicators: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN), under-5 mortality (SH.DYN.MORT), causes of death (SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS, SH.DTH.INJR.ZS), mortality from major chronic diseases (SH.DYN.NCOM.MA.ZS, SH.DYN.NCOM.FE.ZS) and road traffic deaths (SH.STA.TRAF.P5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Link

Data updated October 25, 2026.