List of Famous people born in Sotavento Islands

Nuno Miguel da Costa Jóia, known as Nuno da Costa, is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Royal Excel Mouscron on loan from Nottingham Forest.

Arménio Adroaldo Vieira e Silva is a Cape Verdean writer, poet and journalist. He began his activity during the 1960s, collaborated in SELÓ, Boletim de Cabo Verde, Vértice (Coimbra) review, Raízes, Ponto & Vírgula, Fragmentos, Sopinha de Alfabeto and others.

Pedro de Verona Rodrigues Pires was the President of Cape Verde from March 2001 to September 2011. Before becoming President, he was Prime Minister from 1975 to 1991.

Arlindo Gomes Furtado is the Cape Verdean Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde, since 2009, and was the first bishop of the Diocese of Mindelo, from 2004 to 2009. In 2015, he was appointed as the first Cape Verdean cardinal by Pope Francis.

Teodoro Mendes Tavares is a Cape Verdean clergyman and the first and only Cape Verdean-born bishop of any diocese in Brazil, he is currently the third Catholic bishop of Ponta de Pedras, covering the Marajó Archipelago in Pará

Adysângela Moniz is a Cape Verdean judoka. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women +78kg event. She was also the flag bearer for Cape Verde at the opening ceremony.

Fausto Duarte (1903–1953) was a Cape Verdean writer. He lived in Guinea-Bissau.

Carlos Humberto Lehman de Almeida Benholiel Lisboa Santos, known as Carlos Lisboa, is a former Portuguese basketball player and the current head coach of Benfica of the Portuguese Basketball League. He is usually considered the best Portuguese basketball player of all-time. He played as a guard and as a forward. As a head coach, he most notably led Benfica from 2011 to 2017, winning 21 major titles. He returned to the team in 2019.

Ricardo Jorge Pires Gomes is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Partizan and the Cape Verde national team.