More than two-thirds of the islands' population is Creole, and the remainder are European and black African. Apart from Portuguese, the inhabitants speak a Portuguese dialect called Crioulo. Most of the population is officially Roman Catholic, but a flourishing Protestant mission based in São Tiago has a church and schools on most of the islands. Many animist customs are still preserved. About three-fifths of Cape Verde's population is younger than 20 years of age. Many older inhabitants emigrate to seek work abroad, mostly in Europe, particularly Portugal, and in Venezuela and Brazil.

The Cape Verde archipelago was uncolonised until the Portuguese determined the islands in 1456. African slaves were brought to the islands to work on Portuguese plantations. As a result, Cape Verdeans are of mixed African and European origin. It is believed that of the more than 1 million individuals of Cape Verdean ancestry, less than half actually live on the islands. Some 500,000 people of Cape Verdean ancestry live in the United States, mainly in New England. Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, France, and Senegal also have large communities. The official language is Portuguese, but most Cape Verdeans also speak a Creole dialect--Crioulo--which is based on archaic Portuguese but determined by African and European languages. Cape Verde has a valuable tradition of Crioulo literature and music.