Praia, July 28, 2026 (Lusa) - Around 65% of young people from Cabo Verde surveyed in 2025 expressed an intention to emigrate, primarily in search of employment and better pay, a study by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) revealed on Tuesday.
The INE indicated that 64.6% of young people «state they intend to emigrate, highlighting that international mobility remains a significant aspiration for a considerable proportion of young people», adding that this intention is higher among some gender groups than others.
The data come from the inquiry «Aspirations of Young Cape Verdeans 2025», conducted in the first half of 2025, based on a random, nationally representative sample of 9,918 households across the country's 22 municipalities.
«The sample has a 90% confidence level, with a relative margin of error of 10%,» the INE explained.
The study covered young people aged 15 to 35, an estimated population of 157,674 people, corresponding to around 33 per cent of Cabo Verde's total population, and analysed areas such as education, language proficiency, the labour market, emigration and future prospects.
Young people aged 15 to 20 show the greatest propensity to emigrate, with 78.1% expressing an intention to leave the country.
Among the islands, Fogo has the highest percentage, at 82.3%.
Among the reasons cited for emigration, seeking work emerges as the main reason, followed by continuing one's studies.
In the labour market, youth unemployment stands at 10.7%, with higher rates among young people in urban areas and those aged 15–20 (16.5%), as well as among women (14.7%).
More than half of the young people surveyed (54.7 %) consider the employment opportunities available in the archipelago to be ‘limited' or ‘very limited'.
Young people cite the need for further education or training and the desire for higher incomes as key enablers for entering the labour market.
Despite the intention to emigrate, amongst young people who wish to remain in Cabo Verde, proximity and family ties are the main reasons cited, at 62.7%.
In the field of education, the study indicates a youth literacy rate of 97.9%.
Secondary education and a bachelor's degree are the most sought-after levels of education, though young people cite a lack of financial resources and the need to work as the main challenges to attaining them.
Portuguese is the language most widely spoken by young people in Cabo Verde, whilst English is more prominent in writing.
As for career aspirations, 25% of young people cite public administration as their preferred career path, with a notable expression of interest among women, whilst 24.1% express an interest in setting up their own business with employees, an option more common among men.
The INE noted that, despite the «current low rate of youth entrepreneurship» and the perception of an unfavourable business environment, there is a trend amongst younger people towards setting up businesses in the coming years.
Young people identify the need for more job opportunities (61.9 %) as one of the main problems, alongside the use of synthetic drugs (52.3 %), alcohol consumption (47.1 %), wages that could be improved (39.9 %), access to quality education (25.2 %) and early pregnancy (20.7 %).
Looking ahead to the next five years, the study highlights continuing their education, entering the labour market and developing their own businesses as the main priorities for Cabo Verde's youth.
The results published by INE align with a survey by Afrosondagem, carried out on 1 December 2024, in which 64% of Cabo Verdeans stated they had already considered emigrating, with the search for employment cited as the main reason.
RS/ADB // ADB.
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