Praia, Dec. 23, 2024 (Lusa) - A study on the quality of democracy and governance in Cabo Verde has revealed that this year 64% of the country's population is considering emigrating, with the search for employment being the main reason.
While in 2017 around 57% of Cabo Verdeans said they were thinking of emigrating, by 2024 that figure had risen to 64 percent, said Afrosondagem's national director, José Semedo.
The proportion of those who said they would never emigrate fell over the period, from 46% to 30%.
"The main reason why Cabo Verdeans want to emigrate is mainly to find a job," Semedo explained.
Interest in emigrating is particularly high among young people, reaching 76% among those interviewed aged between 18 and 35, and 82% among unemployed people looking for work.
In addition, 75% of workers said they had already considered emigrating.
Men expessed more interest in emigrating than did women (70% versus 59%), as did residents of urban areas as against those in rural ones (65% versus 60%).
Europe continues to be Cabo Verdeans' favourite destination, with 61% citing European countries, followed by the US, with 28% of preferences.
Regarding immigration, when asked whether the country should welcome the same number of immigrants who come to look for work, opinions are divided, according to Afrosondagem.
Around 34% said that the archipelago should receive fewer immigrants looking for work, 25% that it should receive more, and 16% that the number should be maintained.
"We are a country with a propensity for emigration, but we are also somewhat afraid of receiving immigrants," he noted.
Regarding the emigration of young people in the last two years, 27% of those questioned said that there is mass emigration underway, while more than two thirds said that the departure of young people is beneficial for countries in Europe and the US.
The survey involved 1,200 respondents from the islands of Santiago, Sao Vicente, Santo Antão and Fogo, covering more than 85% of Cabo Verde's population.
In August, businesspeople in the country told Lusa that they were already thinking about the possibility of importing labour due to young people going abroad, especially to Portugal.
A year ago, Cabo Verde's prime minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, publicly acknowledged that young people were leaving the country in large numbers in search of better opportunities, but rejected the idea that this constituted mass emigration, and called for studies into the phenomenon.
According to data from the consular department of Portugal's embassy in Praia provided to Lusa, from January through end-November 2023, Cabo Verde nationals applied for 12,549 long-term visas (that is, for more than 90 days) to Portugal, of all types, of which 11,702 were granted.
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