Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cabo Verde instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 40.0% more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 16.7% of people as of 2024.
be 60.0% more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cabo Verde, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cabo Verde, that number is 11.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 40.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, 40.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.3% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, on the other hand, 10.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 71.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, that number is 99% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 61.3% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Cabo Verde, that number is 965 km.
Infrastructure
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cabo Verde withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cabo Verde, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
emit 48.4% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde: At a glance
How big is Cabo Verde compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.