The Caboverdean Mesticos of Portugal

The Caboverdean Mesticos of Portugal, numbering approximately 80,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Creole population of Cabo Verde with mixed African and Portuguese ancestry. They primarily speak Kriolu and Portuguese and maintain a distinctive island culture shaped by West African and Iberian influences. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Portuguese is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Caboverdian Mestico

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Portugal
People Cluster: Other Sub-Saharan African
Primary Language(s): Portuguese (por)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 80,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG000474
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Pray for the Caboverdean Mesticos of Portugal

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

90%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Portuguese
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Portuguese Speakers

Media Resources in Portuguese:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film
MagdalenaView Film
The SaviorView Film

5 films

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Caboverdean Mesticos are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Caboverdean Mesticos:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Caboverdean Mesticos of Portugal

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
readActs 4:12

Pray that those walking in darkness among them will come to know the name by which they must be saved, and call upon Him in faith.

Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, "the kingdom of God has come near to you."
readLuke 10:8-9

Pray that the lost will receive messengers of the gospel with joy, turn from their sins, and be healed.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot... indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
readPsalm 16:5-6

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and face hardship, they will remember that God is their portion and cup and that He has a beautiful inheritance for them.

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
readMatthew 16:17

Pray that God who is in heaven will place believers in the lives of people who need to encounter the gospel and that He will reveal to them the truth of what they hear.

Caboverdean Mestico Across Countries (ROP3 - 101838) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

6 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguage ▲Religion
Caboverdean MesticosCaboverdean MesticosUnited States310,000No Longer UnreachedEnglishRoman Catholicism
Caboverdean MesticosCaboverdean MesticosCabo Verde503,000No Longer UnreachedKabuverdianuRoman Catholicism
Caboverdean MesticosCaboverdean MesticosSenegal54,500No Longer UnreachedKabuverdianuRoman Catholicism
Caboverdean MesticosCaboverdean MesticosSpain3,100Unengaged and UnreachedKabuverdianuRoman Catholicism
Caboverdean MesticosCaboverdean MesticosCanada200No Longer UnreachedKabuverdianuRoman Catholicism
Caboverdean MesticosCaboverdean MesticosPortugal80,500Engaged yet UnreachedPortugueseRoman Catholicism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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