Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Cape Verde fits inside the Gambia 2.8 times.
Cape Verde: 4,030 km² (2023) · Gambia: 11,300 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Cape Verde’s coastline is 12 times as long as the Gambia’s.
Cape Verde: 965 km (2026 edition) · Gambia: 80 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Cape Verde’s highest peak towers 2,766 m above the Gambia’s.
Cape Verde: 2,829 m (2026 edition) · Gambia: 63 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Gambia has 5.4 times as many people as Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 527,326 (2025) · Gambia: 2.82 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Gambia is 2.1 times as densely populated as Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 131 per km² (2025) · Gambia: 279 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Cape Verde are 7.9 cm taller than in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 176.3 cm (2019) · Gambia: 168.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Cape Verde are 1.4 cm taller than in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 163.1 cm (2019) · Gambia: 161.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Cape Verde is 9.7 years older than in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 27.9 years (2023) · Gambia: 18.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Gambia have 2.4 more children on average than in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 1.51 children per woman (2024) · Gambia: 3.91 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.2% of people in Cape Verde are 65 or older, versus 3.2% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 7.2% (2025) · Gambia: 3.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Cape Verde: no data · Gambia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Cape Verde and the Gambia are practically level.
Cape Verde: 1 (2026) · Gambia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Cape Verde’s economy is 18% larger than the Gambia’s.
Cape Verde: $3.06 billion (2025) · Gambia: $2.59 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Cape Verde produces 3.3 times as much per person as the Gambia.
Cape Verde: Int$12,165 (2025) · Gambia: Int$3,706 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Cape Verde than in the Gambia (Gini 3.6 points higher).
Cape Verde: 42.4 (2015) · Gambia: 38.8 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in Cape Verde, versus 6.5% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 11.9% (2025) · Gambia: 6.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Cape Verde and the Gambia are practically level.
Cape Verde: 0.6% (2024) · Gambia: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Cape Verde’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× the Gambia’s.
Cape Verde: 48% (2025) · Gambia: 25% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Cape Verde spends 11 times as much on health per person as the Gambia.
Cape Verde: $290 (2023) · Gambia: $26 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Cape Verde live 10 years longer than in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 76.2 years (2024) · Gambia: 66.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Gambia is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 10.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Gambia: 32.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Cape Verde has 8.1 times as many doctors per person as the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Gambia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in Cape Verde are obese, versus 11% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 16.5% (2024) · Gambia: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in the Gambia smoke, versus 10% in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 10.4% (2024) · Gambia: 11.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Cape Verde: no data · Gambia: 4.31 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Cape Verde drink 8.4 times as much alcohol as in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 4.1 litres (2023) · Gambia: 0.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Cape Verde has 2.3 times as much meat per person as the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 43.8 kg (2023) · Gambia: 19.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Cape Verde has 391 kcal more food per person per day than the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 2,794 kcal (2023) · Gambia: 2,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Cape Verde went to school 1.4 years longer than in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 6.1 years (2023) · Gambia: 4.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Cape Verde welcomed 7 times as many tourists per resident as the Gambia (2019).
Cape Verde: 1.51 (2022) · Gambia: 0.22 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
75% of people in Cape Verde are online, versus 49% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 75% (2024) · Gambia: 49% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
98% of people in Cape Verde have electricity, versus 69% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 98.4% (2024) · Gambia: 69% (2024)
How many live in cities?
78% of people in Cape Verde live in cities, versus 65% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 78% (2025) · Gambia: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Gambia has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Cape Verde 112.
Cape Verde: 112 (2024) · Gambia: 126 (2024)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Cape Verde fly 3.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 0.14 (2023) · Gambia: 0.04 (2019)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 22% of the Gambia, but only 12% of Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 11.6% (2023) · Gambia: 22.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Cape Verde emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 1.1 t (2024) · Gambia: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Cape Verde’s electricity is renewable, versus 0.0% in the Gambia.
Cape Verde: 30.8% (2024) · Gambia: 0% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Gambia carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 17 µg/m³ (2024) · Gambia: 35.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Cape Verde: 7 per 100k (2020) · Gambia: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Gambia are 33% deadlier than in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 16.5 per 100k (2021) · Gambia: 22 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Gambia is on average 5.1 °C warmer than Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 23°C (2016–2025 avg) · Gambia: 28.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Gambia gets 4.5 times as much rain as Cape Verde.
Cape Verde: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Gambia: 774 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Cape Verde bigger than the Gambia?
The Gambia is larger. Cape Verde fits inside the Gambia 2.8 times.
Which has more people, Cape Verde or the Gambia?
The Gambia has 5.4 times as many people as Cape Verde (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Cape Verde or the Gambia?
People in Cape Verde live 10 years longer than in the Gambia. Life expectancy at birth is 76.2 years in Cape Verde and 66.1 in the Gambia.
Are people taller in Cape Verde or the Gambia?
Men in Cape Verde are 7.9 cm taller than in the Gambia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
