🇨🇻 Republic of Cabo Verde
Visiting: Take care
Cabo Verde is safe with caveats. There is no conflict at all, ranking 1st, and freedom is as good as it gets, at 16th. Its weak spot is violent crime, which is common, placed 129th. LGBT rights are solid, ranking 31st, women's safety is fair, at 74th, and the roads are hazardous, placed 121st.
Homicide
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Cabo Verde: 7.0
Ranked 52nd in the world for the highest homicide rate.
Why this rank?
Seven killings per 100,000 people a year is above the world average of about six, which is where the risky tier begins.
Is it safe to visit?
Take some care. The rate is above the world average, though it rests on 36 killings in 2020 — with half a million people, a handful either way moves it.
Road Fatalities
Road-traffic deaths per 100,000 people per year — lower is better.
Cabo Verde: 16.5
Ranked 60th in the world for the deadliest roads.
Why this rank?
Sixteen and a half deaths per 100,000 people a year is just above the world average of fifteen.
Is it safe to visit?
Not safe on the figure, though it's a shaky one — an estimate built on a few dozen deaths a year across small islands.
Conflict — world number one
Conflict deaths inside the country in the last twelve months, as recorded by the Uppsala conflict database, civilians killed on purpose, and any UN sanctions or court order over a war. The worst of those sets the colour. Lower is better.
Cabo Verde: 1.00
Ranked 1st least conflict-affected country in the world.
Why this rank?
Nothing on record. The Uppsala conflict database has never recorded a conflict death in Cabo Verde since its records began in 1989.
Is it safe to visit?
Nothing to think about. Nothing has ever come near the islands.
Freedom
Six freedoms rated 0–4 by Freedom House — protest, speech, press, religion, movement and due process. The weakest rating sets the colour, and the total places the country inside it — higher is better.
Cabo Verde: 8.99
Ranked 16th freest country in the world.
Why this rank?
In Cabo Verde the lowest is due process at 3. Total 23 of 24.
Is it safe to visit?
A stable democracy where civil liberties are protected and power changes hands at elections. The one weak spot is an overburdened court system, so legal matters move slowly.
LGBT Rights
LGBT equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Cabo Verde: 6.8
Ranked 31st most equal in the world for LGBT people.
Why this rank?
Legal since 2004 with workplace discrimination banned. Public opinion scores 80 out of 100, higher than the law at 56, and that warmth lifts it into the good band.
Is it safe to visit?
Fine. Island society is relaxed by regional standards and Pride events have been held. A visitor will meet no trouble.
Women's Safety
Women's safety — feeling safe out at night, political violence against women, a fair hearing in court, and how normal violence at home is, with the night figure setting a floor on the colour — higher is better.
Cabo Verde: 7.51
Ranked 74th safest country in the world for women.
Why this rank?
No attacks on women are recorded and the courts rate fairly. Partner violence in the past year is eleven percent, and 23 percent of women think wife-beating can be justified.
Is it safe to visit?
For a woman travelling alone, Cabo Verde is a reasonable choice.