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Economy of Cape Verde vs Croatia compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Cape Verde has a GDP of $2.77B compared to $92.5B for Croatia, ranking 170/197 and 74/197 by economy size, respectively.

Cape Verde has $3.15B in government debt (109.6% of GDP), compared to $53.3B (55.9% of GDP) in Croatia.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

Cape Verde
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Croatia
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Cape Verde Croatia
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1980 $142,246,815 $188,081,995 - -
1981 $139,468,209 $203,977,862 - -
1982 $140,630,679 $209,740,298 - -
1983 $138,476,176 $229,709,147 - -
1984 $132,019,039 $238,399,665 - -
1985 $137,728,205 $259,002,371 - -
1986 $190,651,168 $266,439,508 - -
1987 $235,253,065 $277,920,557 - -
1988 $264,308,140 $294,587,049 - -
1989 $267,448,571 $311,372,470 - -
1990 $306,890,963 $313,527,703 $25,650,213,280 $46,596,559,831
1991 $319,827,059 $317,930,093 $18,760,386,775 $36,769,964,789
1992 $357,160,985 $352,704,164 $10,621,169,291 $32,462,991,993
1993 $490,417,390 $383,418,741 $11,259,647,874 $29,857,647,989
1994 $406,580,652 $456,968,584 $15,062,911,617 $31,610,433,645
1995 $487,148,994 $521,911,297 $22,772,394,547 $33,746,817,538
1996 $501,979,270 $581,130,092 $24,150,978,347 $35,808,404,184
1997 $490,608,658 $645,742,612 $24,175,764,812 $38,017,063,245
1998 $521,910,561 $726,572,060 $25,890,228,430 $38,873,085,038
1999 $592,416,703 $808,112,688 $23,777,026,779 $38,543,171,373
2000 $539,227,278 $923,550,525 $22,134,411,297 $39,678,365,282
2001 $563,090,490 $944,160,983 $23,066,883,850 $40,912,852,422
2002 $620,507,387 $993,737,848 $26,757,722,429 $43,287,159,654
2003 $813,260,469 $1,035,238,918 $35,245,317,002 $45,697,550,022
2004 $924,940,012 $1,140,802,982 $41,836,292,157 $47,603,359,433
2005 $972,241,677 $1,219,660,509 $45,013,119,282 $49,663,193,223
2006 $1,107,571,458 $1,317,035,160 $49,590,197,657 $52,186,811,454
2007 $1,649,621,739 $1,516,838,455 $59,298,265,770 $54,821,664,180
2008 $1,959,620,648 $1,623,608,885 $68,478,776,206 $55,900,878,030
2009 $1,852,334,575 $1,599,196,517 $62,321,642,125 $52,091,816,698
2010 $1,824,751,468 $1,628,564,468 $58,981,738,869 $51,396,869,396
2011 $2,046,817,987 $1,692,481,035 $62,903,737,380 $51,346,628,209
2012 $1,913,081,210 $1,710,821,580 $57,551,963,753 $50,189,405,845
2013 $2,028,910,915 $1,721,636,311 $59,852,401,272 $50,126,443,322
2014 $2,041,930,125 $1,733,630,380 $59,612,144,078 $49,847,163,745
2015 $1,749,857,620 $1,749,857,620 $51,005,200,670 $51,005,200,670
2016 $1,849,789,986 $1,824,764,035 $52,654,855,638 $52,770,556,703
2017 $1,996,741,540 $1,907,814,791 $56,186,190,438 $54,501,936,569
2018 $2,205,099,507 $1,978,536,809 $61,668,130,123 $56,085,044,234
2019 $2,252,177,124 $2,116,002,111 $61,467,582,194 $57,823,926,883
2020 $1,821,565,614 $1,675,762,034 $57,963,370,885 $53,017,808,755
2021 $2,051,842,619 $1,793,627,261 $69,006,802,299 $59,714,859,478
2022 $2,247,003,344 $2,077,803,747 $71,198,635,102 $64,066,840,477
2023 $2,539,203,429 $2,189,821,145 $84,393,795,502 $66,182,676,637
2024 $2,767,599,017 $2,349,062,343 $92,526,176,109 $68,707,509,494

Economic indicators

Cape Verde Croatia
Gross domestic product
$2.77B
2024
$92.5B
2024
GDP rank
170/197
2024
74/197
2024
GDP growth
8.99%
2023-2024
9.64%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$5,273
2024
$23,931
2024
GDP per capita rank
117/197
2024
50/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$11,262
2024
$48,575
2024
Government debt
$3.15B
2024
$53.3B
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
109.6%
2025
55.9%
2025
Government debt per person
$5,998
2024
$13,796
2024
Government debt per person rank
75/185
2024
42/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$2,527
2025
$20,265
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies n/a
$27.8B
2024
Number of billionaires n/a
1
2025
Income share by richest 10%
32.3%
2015
23.3%
2023
Income share by poorest 10%
2.2%
2015
2.9%
2023
Government expenditure, % of GDP
29.5%
2025
48.9%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
1.5%
2024-2025
2.97%
2023-2024
Central bank interest rate
1.5%
2024
n/a
Unemployment rate
11.3%
2019
5.03%
2024
Population
529186
3839202

GDP per capita in Cape Verde vs Croatia

Cape Verde's GDP per capita is $5,273, ranking 117/197, compared to $23,931 in Croatia, ranking 50/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Cape Verde ranks 128th at $11,262, while Croatia ranks 47th at $48,575.

Cape Verde
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Croatia
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Cape Verde Croatia
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1980 $440 - - -
1981 $425 - - -
1982 $423 - - -
1983 $410 - - -
1984 $385 - - -
1985 $396 - - -
1986 $541 - - -
1987 $658 - - -
1988 $729 - - -
1989 $727 - - -
1990 $817 $1,044 $5,369 $9,519
1991 $832 $1,069 $4,001 $7,912
1992 $908 $1,186 $2,321 $7,321
1993 $1,220 $1,291 $2,448 $6,856
1994 $991 $1,540 $3,238 $7,332
1995 $1,165 $1,762 $4,929 $8,046
1996 $1,180 $1,963 $5,300 $8,802
1997 $1,134 $2,182 $5,331 $9,534
1998 $1,187 $2,443 $5,713 $9,889
1999 $1,327 $2,714 $5,269 $9,943
2000 $1,190 $3,124 $4,954 $10,672
2001 $1,223 $3,217 $5,365 $11,654
2002 $1,329 $3,388 $6,220 $12,775
2003 $1,718 $3,551 $8,190 $13,693
2004 $1,929 $3,969 $9,719 $14,688
2005 $2,004 $4,324 $10,444 $15,451
2006 $2,257 $4,758 $11,503 $17,635
2007 $3,325 $5,567 $13,758 $19,571
2008 $3,909 $6,011 $15,889 $21,020
2009 $3,660 $5,901 $14,476 $20,350
2010 $3,579 $6,039 $13,731 $20,144
2011 $4,002 $6,384 $14,695 $21,196
2012 $3,737 $6,318 $13,509 $21,620
2013 $3,961 $6,367 $14,136 $22,432
2014 $3,986 $6,417 $14,188 $22,708
2015 $3,415 $6,773 $12,285 $23,759
2016 $3,609 $7,351 $12,821 $25,804
2017 $3,893 $7,936 $13,903 $27,889
2018 $4,295 $7,916 $15,460 $29,789
2019 $4,381 $8,646 $15,564 $33,064
2020 $3,539 $6,853 $14,808 $31,596
2021 $3,971 $7,685 $17,790 $36,933
2022 $4,323 $9,481 $18,466 $41,960
2023 $4,861 $10,300 $21,865 $45,603
2024 $5,273 $11,262 $23,931 $48,575

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Cape Verde's government spending was $733M, accounting for 29.5% of its GDP, while Croatia's spent $44.8B, or 48.9% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 109.6% in Cape Verde and 55.9% in Croatia, ranking 16/185 and 94/185, respectively.

Cape Verde
Government spending

Government debt
Croatia
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Cape Verde Croatia
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1992 - - 37.1% -
1993 - - 36% -
1994 48.1% 73.4% 45.4% -
1995 44.5% 74.3% 50.3% -
1996 38.9% 85.7% 52.1% -
1997 34.8% 79.3% 51.7% 22.5%
1998 29.8% 72.9% 56.8% 23.3%
1999 35% 66.4% 58.9% 30%
2000 36.7% 71.9% 54.6% 35.4%
2001 24.2% 62.2% 50.6% 36.6%
2002 28.5% 64.7% 49.2% 36.5%
2003 23.4% 65.6% 49.6% 37.8%
2004 26.3% 67.8% 49% 40%
2005 26.2% 66.7% 46.5% 40.9%
2006 28.4% 66.2% 44.6% 38.4%
2007 27.1% 59.6% 46.3% 37.1%
2008 27.6% 57.5% 46.3% 38.9%
2009 30.6% 58.8% 49.2% 47.9%
2010 35.7% 73.5% 48.1% 56.8%
2011 30.3% 71.6% 48.6% 63.1%
2012 31.6% 82.9% 47.3% 68.9%
2013 30.9% 93.5% 47.9% 79.5%
2014 27.8% 105.6% 48.7% 83.2%
2015 28.7% 115.6% 47.5% 82.8%
2016 26.6% 115.4% 45.9% 79.3%
2017 28% 112.8% 44.1% 76.2%
2018 27.5% 112% 44.9% 72.8%
2019 27.5% 109.4% 44.3% 70.9%
2020 34.5% 143.8% 53.7% 86.5%
2021 30.8% 149.1% 48.1% 78.2%
2022 25.9% 124% 44.9% 68.5%
2023 24.8% 114% 46.6% 61.8%
2024 26.5% 113.7% 48.4% 57.6%
2025 29.5% 109.6% 48.9% 55.9%

Government deficit by year

In 2024, Cape Verde's government deficit, the difference between spending and revenue, was -$65.4M, equivalent to -2.36% of GDP. This compares to Croatia's deficit of -$1.98B, or -2.14% of GDP.

Over the past 31 years, Cape Verde recorded a fiscal deficit in 31 of those years, while Croatia ran a deficit in 27 years. On average, Cape Verde posted an annual deficit equal to -6.05% of GDP, compared to deficit of -3.97% of GDP for Croatia.

Deficit/surplus
Cape Verde

Croatia
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Cape Verde Croatia
1992 - -5.69%
1993 - -2.67%
1994 -12.8% -0.82%
1995 -11.1% -4.23%
1996 -11.2% -4.41%
1997 -10.2% -4.93%
1998 -3.16% -6.36%
1999 -10.9% -11.1%
2000 -15.5% -9.2%
2001 -5.03% -4.79%
2002 -6.14% -4.9%
2003 -3.63% -5.03%
2004 -2.98% -6.09%
2005 -4.69% -3.24%
2006 -4.32% -2.01%
2007 -0.86% -2.28%
2008 -1.42% -2.34%
2009 -5.32% -7.15%
2010 -9.6% -6.46%
2011 -6.98% -7.53%
2012 -9.36% -5.46%
2013 -8.49% -5.52%
2014 -6.93% -5.19%
2015 -4.16% -3.53%
2016 -2.73% -1.04%
2017 -2.63% 0.8%
2018 -2.36% 0.23%
2019 -1.62% 2.31%
2020 -9.29% -7.23%
2021 -7.51% -2.55%
2022 -4.15% 0.14%
2023 -0.27% -0.86%
2024 -2.36% -2.14%
2025 -1.77% -2.36%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 29 years, Cape Verde has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 2.43%, compared with 2.95% in Croatia. In 2024, inflation was 1.5% in Cape Verde and 2.97% in Croatia.

Inflation
Cape Verde

Croatia
Year Inflation
Cape Verde Croatia Cape Verde Croatia
1996 6% 4.3%
1997 8.6% 4.17%
1998 4.4% 6.4%
1999 4.3% 4.02%
2000 -2.4% 4.61%
2001 3.7% 3.78%
2002 1.9% 1.67%
2003 1.2% 1.77%
2004 -1.9% 2.06%
2005 0.4% 3.32%
2006 4.8% 3.19%
2007 4.4% 2.9%
2008 6.8% 6.08%
2009 1% 2.38%
2010 2.1% 1.03%
2011 4.5% 2.27%
2012 2.5% 3.41%
2013 1.5% 2.22%
2014 -0.2% -0.22%
2015 0.1% -0.46%
2016 -1.4% -1.12%
2017 0.8% 1.13%
2018 1.3% 1.5%
2019 1.1% 0.77%
2020 0.6% 0.15%
2021 1.9% 2.55%
2022 7.9% 10.8%
2023 3.7% 7.94%
2024 1% 2.97%
2025 1.5% -

Top exports between countries

Cape Verde
Export category Export value
Croatia
Export category Export value
Animal & marine products $25K
Textiles & consumer goods $6K
Machinery & equipment $5K
Raw materials & minerals $1K

Balance of trade

Cape Verde Croatia
Current account balance
$107M
2024
-$1.05B
2024
Current account balance ranking
66/189
2024
124/189
2024
Current account balance, % of GDP
+3.85%
2024
-1.13%
2024
Goods imports
$1.17B
2024
$41.5B
2024
Goods exports
$328M
2024
$21.9B
2024
Service imports
$298M
2024
$8.35B
2024
Service exports
$830M
2024
$24.7B
2024
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
53.2%
2024
52.9%
2024
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
41.9%
2024
49.8%
2024

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

Cape Verde Croatia
Economic freedom 68.7 68.7
Economic freedom ranking 44/197 45/197
Property rights 64.6 81.3
Government integrity 64.4 53.4
Judicial effectiveness 75.1 71.4
Tax burden 84.4 77.3
Government spending 77.8 35.1
Fiscal health 54.7 90.3
Business freedom 80.2 80.4
Labor freedom 59.6 69.1
Monetary freedom 76.5 66.6
Trade freedom 67 79.6
Investment freedom 60 60
Financial freedom 60 60

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Cape Verde is 68.7, ranking 44/197, compared to 68.7 for Croatia, ranking 45/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

Cape Verde
Croatia
Year Economic freedom index
Cape Verde Croatia
1996 49.7 48
1997 47.7 46.7
1998 48 51.7
1999 50.7 53.1
2000 51.9 53.6
2001 56.3 50.7
2002 57.6 51.1
2003 56.1 53.3
2004 58.1 53.1
2005 57.8 51.9
2006 58.6 53.6
2007 56.5 53.4
2008 57.9 54.1
2009 61.3 55.1
2010 61.8 59.2
2011 64.6 61.1
2012 63.5 60.9
2013 63.7 61.3
2014 66.1 60.4
2015 66.4 61.5
2016 66.5 59.1
2017 56.9 59.4
2018 60 61
2019 63.1 61.4
2020 63.6 62.2
2021 63.8 63.6
2022 66.7 67.6
2023 65.8 66.4
2024 62.9 67.2
2025 68.7 68.7

More economic indicators

Cape Verde Croatia
Services, % of GDP
69.4%
2024
59.7%
2024
Industry, % of GDP
10.5%
2024
19.8%
2024
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
4.7%
2024
3.41%
2024
GNI, Atlas method
$2.63B
2024
$85.4B
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$11,050
2024
$48,760
2024
Total reserves including gold
$783M
2024
$3.34B
2024
Total reserves ranking
144/177
2024
116/177
2024
Net foreign direct investment
-$89.2M
2024
-$1.88B
2024
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$110M
2024
$4.67B
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$20.8M
2024
$2.79B
2024
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
6.47%
2023
n/a
Poverty at national poverty lines
24.8%
2023
20.3%
2023
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
16%
2024
23.5%
2024

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.