Cape Verde

/ 100

Caution

Drink with caution. Treated at the source, but aging distribution and storage can let quality slip. Many filter or drink bottled to be safe.

Can you…

Drinkable?

Brush teeth?

Careful

Ice?

Careful

Cooking?

Yes

Source → Tap

Mixed network · aging mains in places

Treatment

RO desalination + remineralization

Contamination risk

medium

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Is tap water safe in Cape Verde?

Cape Verde scores 50/100 on our water-safety index — drink with caution. Treated at the source, but aging distribution and storage can let quality slip. Many filter or drink bottled to be safe. Scores above 70 mean tap water is generally safe to drink. 40–69 means treat it with caution — filtering or bottled water is wise. Below 40 means it’s best avoided straight from the tap.

Drinking, brushing, ice & cooking

Drinkable?: No — don’t drink it unfiltered. Boil, filter, or buy bottled.
Brush teeth?: Usually fine for brushing if you don’t swallow, though the cautious use filtered or bottled water.
Ice?: Ice is a gamble — fine in reputable hotels and restaurants, riskier from street vendors.
Cooking?: Yes — cooking and rinsing produce with tap water is safe.

Water treatment & pipe infrastructure

Cape Verde relies on ro desalination + remineralization, delivered through a mixed network — aging mains in places. That puts the practical contamination risk between source and tap at medium. Even where water leaves the plant clean, aging mains and rooftop storage are where quality most often slips.

Frequently asked questions

Can you drink tap water in Cape Verde?+

Cape Verde scores 50/100 on our water-safety index — drink with caution. No — don’t drink it unfiltered. Boil, filter, or buy bottled.

Is it safe to brush your teeth with tap water in Cape Verde?+

Usually fine for brushing if you don’t swallow, though the cautious use filtered or bottled water.

Is ice safe to use in drinks in Cape Verde?+

Ice is a gamble — fine in reputable hotels and restaurants, riskier from street vendors.

Is tap water in Cape Verde safe for cooking?+

Yes — cooking and rinsing produce with tap water is safe.

Data & sources

WHO/UNICEF JMP doesn’t publish a safely-managed drinking water estimate for Cape Verde. This score is an editorial estimate informed by regional data and CDC traveler guidance.

Read the full methodology — how the 0–100 score is built and what it does (and doesn’t) mean.