country profile

Cabo Verde

Sub-Saharan AfricaLower middle income525K population

Last updated May 3, 2026

FacebookTwitter/XLinkedInReddit

Composite GEFRI Score

Severely underprepared

Cabo Verde shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (37th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

40.09Composite score
Global percentile
37th
Global rank
#113
Regional rank
#6
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
58.94
45th percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
46.24
37th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
21.54
4th percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
63.71
77th percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
10.00
32nd percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Cabo Verde trails global peers in Innovation (22, 4th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

Wide gaps between dimensions reveal structural weaknesses that slow coordinated progress. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Human Capital presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Cabo Verde leads most clearly in Governance, sitting well above the peer average.

Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 37th percentile.
  • Places 113th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 6th within Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Scores range from Governance (63.7) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
681South Africa57.33
742Mauritius56.48
SeychellesMicrostate55.12
803Botswana54.11
1024Ghana47.72
1085Namibia44.24
1136Cabo Verde40.09
1177Eswatini38.07
1248Senegal35.40
1259Equatorial Guinea35.01
12610Gabon34.48
12911Rwanda33.75
13312Kenya33.02
13413Gambia, The32.24
13514Cote d'Ivoire32.18
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate31.75
14015Lesotho31.04
14116Benin29.70
14217ZimbabweFCS29.57
14418Togo29.28
14519Tanzania29.23
14620CameroonFCS28.46
14721Zambia27.96
14822Mauritania27.82
15023Angola26.39
15224ComorosFCS25.64
15325Congo, Rep.FCS25.59
15526MozambiqueFCS25.26
15627EthiopiaFCS25.24
15728Uganda24.82
15829NigeriaFCS24.64
15930Sierra Leone24.58
16031Madagascar24.32
16132Burkina FasoFCS23.86
16233MaliFCS23.71
16334Malawi23.40
16435Guinea22.78
16636Liberia22.50
16737NigerFCS20.78
16838SudanFCS20.28
16939Guinea-BissauFCS19.28
17645Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS19.26
17141BurundiFCS18.78
17242EritreaFCS18.78
17443Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS17.87
17544ChadFCS16.32
17645SomaliaFCS15.80
17746South SudanFCS15.44
17847Central African RepublicFCS14.57