Cape Verde Economy

Cape Verde is classed as a poor country however, the quality of life ranks highest in the United Nations index of West Africa.

The economy is largely subsistence agriculture however efforts are severely hampered by the lack of water, whilst  approximately 80% of the population are employed in agriculture it only accounts for around 12% of GDP.

The majority of crops grown is maize and beans. Bananas, sugar cane, sweet potatoes and cassava are also grown. However about 90% of food needs to be imported to the island. The main exported crops are bananas and coffee.

The seas around Cape Verde are rich with many types of fish however the fishing here is done in the traditional way and is generally considered to be more of an art form and not practiced on a massive scale. The economy is primarily service oriented which accounts for around 90% of GDP. Tourism is set to be the biggest growth sector of the GDP.