If you lived in Colombia instead of Cabo Verde, you would:

Health

live 1.7 years longer

In Cabo Verde, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Cabo Verde spends $617 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Colombia spends $1,758 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 3.5 times more doctors per person

Cabo Verde has 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Colombia has 25.4 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 12.7% more access to essential health services

Cabo Verde scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Colombia scores 80 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 66.7% less likely to die by suicide

Cabo Verde has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 48.8% more likely to be obese

In Cabo Verde, 16.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 30.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Cabo Verde, 11.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Colombia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 47.7% more money

Cabo Verde has a GDP per capita of $5,796 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 28.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Cabo Verde, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Colombia, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 47.5% more likely to die during childbirth

In Cabo Verde, approximately 40.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 20.9% more on education

Cabo Verde spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Colombia spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

View global rankings →

spend 39.1% more on healthcare

Cabo Verde spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 3.3 times more coastline

Cabo Verde has a total of 965 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered

Cabo Verde has a homicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Colombia, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.1 times more home broadband

Cabo Verde has 8.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 93.9% less strain on fresh water

Cabo Verde withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 59.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Cabo Verde, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 39.5% more CO2

Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Colombia: At a glance

Colombia is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 1,038,700 sq km. Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A nearly five-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, emerging criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, but continue attacks against civilians. Large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. In November 2012, the Colombian Government started formal peace negotiations with the FARC aimed at reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire and incorporating demobilized FARC members into mainstream society and politics. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.
Read more

How big is Colombia compared to Cabo Verde? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Colombia or Cabo Verde. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.