Cabo Verde: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Cabo Verde's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) fell 9.07 billion on 2019 (from -7.44 billion to -16.52 billion).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2019), the average change was −238.53 million and a typical year strayed about 3.46 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.65 billion in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.07 billion in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Cabo Verde had the 7th highest value of the 10 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Cabo Verde in the 2020 ranking

• St. Kitts and Nevis — 4th of 10: -53.7 million
• Bahrain — 5th of 10: -1.67 billion
• Bhutan — 6th of 10: -4.58 billion
• Honduras — 8th of 10: -26 billion
• Jamaica — 9th of 10: -60.51 billion
• Mali — 10th of 10: -415.56 billion

What this measures

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 16 values

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — -1.35 trillion (2024)
• Botswana — -11.15 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — -758.19 billion (2024)
• Burundi — -47.83 billion (2021)
• Cameroon — -686.91 billion (2021)
• Central African Republic — -56.35 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — -2.92 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 107.42 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — -2.65 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea

More public sector data for Cabo Verde

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 20.08 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 1.96 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.66% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 1,000 (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 2.34% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.51% (2020)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Cabo Verde's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)?

-16.52 billion in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is down 302.33% from -4.11 billion in 2005. The highest value was 227.79 million in 2017 and the lowest -16.52 billion in 2020.

How does Cabo Verde rank?

7th highest of 10 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) unusual for Cabo Verde?

In 2020, Cabo Verde's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) fell 9.07 billion on 2019 (from -7.44 billion to -16.52 billion). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2019), the average change was −238.53 million and a typical year strayed about 3.46 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NLD.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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