The value of merchandise imports in Cape Verde grew 9% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to new data published by the central bank and consulted today by Lusa.
Cape Verde is heavily dependent on imports, particularly consumer goods, which account for nearly half the value of all merchandise imported and whose category bill grew 5%. A large share of these consumer goods consists of processed food products — one fifth of total merchandise — a category that on its own grew 3% last year.
Other categories with smaller shares also recorded increases: intermediate goods (construction materials and business inputs) grew 15% and capital goods (machinery and transport equipment) rose 36%. On the other hand, the fuel bill fell nearly 10% in 2025, following the global trend of falling oil prices after the 2022 peak — a cycle now threatened by the current Middle East crisis.
The total merchandise import bill came to 110 billion escudos (around €1 billion) in 2025. Of this total, the majority of imports (67%) continue to be sourced from the eurozone, with Portugal remaining the main supplier, responsible for 48% of imports — a value of 52.5 billion escudos (€476 million), up 10% from 2024.
On the export side, merchandise export revenue grew 18%, driven mainly by processed fish destined for Spain, reaching 9.3 billion escudos (€84 million) — less than one tenth of the value of imports.
Read more: Remittances from Cape Verdean emigrants grow 3% in 2025 and reach record high
The BCV data for 2025 does not yet include the annual value of services exports, which includes tourism — the engine of the Cape Verdean economy and a key factor in reducing the country’s trade deficit.
