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Economy of Cameroon vs North Korea compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Cameroon has a GDP of $51.3B compared to $34.9B for North Korea, ranking 92/197 and 106/197 by economy size, respectively.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

Cameroon
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
North Korea
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Cameroon North Korea
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1960 $614,206,068 $4,827,329,402 - -
1961 $652,777,608 $4,884,469,574 - -
1962 $694,247,864 $5,033,033,600 - -
1963 $718,320,845 $5,221,397,415 - -
1964 $776,650,177 $5,406,608,720 - -
1965 $814,083,266 $5,516,149,517 - -
1966 $851,112,535 $5,770,717,369 - -
1967 $936,175,260 $5,141,012,904 - -
1968 $1,046,191,218 $5,467,278,233 - -
1969 $1,100,551,489 $5,735,255,756 - -
1970 $1,151,216,993 $5,912,593,777 - -
1971 $1,236,941,394 $6,118,334,765 - -
1972 $1,498,251,890 $6,281,929,449 - -
1973 $1,901,393,361 $6,618,369,537 - -
1974 $2,157,415,533 $7,328,802,680 - -
1975 $2,857,037,371 $8,152,930,849 - -
1976 $2,898,090,002 $7,704,916,015 - -
1977 $3,394,664,024 $8,763,561,577 - -
1978 $4,662,852,583 $10,691,808,462 - -
1979 $5,919,002,983 $11,337,071,802 - -
1980 $6,674,569,047 $11,114,265,274 - -
1981 $6,610,938,617 $13,012,879,895 - -
1982 $6,611,255,964 $13,990,954,313 - -
1983 $6,870,200,010 $14,951,689,440 - -
1984 $7,311,938,026 $16,069,264,314 - -
1985 $8,544,810,498 $17,364,955,075 - -
1986 $11,857,056,199 $18,540,851,327 - -
1987 $13,049,659,981 $18,142,844,102 - -
1988 $12,236,057,362 $16,723,414,750 - -
1989 $11,012,566,195 $16,419,195,682 - -
1990 $12,314,482,628 $15,416,689,238 - -
1991 $11,840,192,296 $14,829,529,308 - -
1992 $12,071,775,335 $14,369,813,424 - -
1993 $16,181,814,713 $13,229,990,256 - -
1994 $8,902,446,252 $13,478,291,934 - -
1995 $10,864,772,471 $13,868,353,888 - -
1996 $11,093,538,846 $14,452,915,010 - -
1997 $10,789,458,433 $15,107,243,821 - -
1998 $11,298,144,990 $15,821,141,893 - -
1999 $11,565,826,465 $16,534,881,735 - -
2000 $10,566,579,295 $17,168,567,485 - -
2001 $10,953,485,349 $17,910,981,186 - -
2002 $12,417,251,350 $18,712,860,619 - -
2003 $15,970,315,035 $19,733,301,669 - -
2004 $18,826,214,136 $21,124,275,033 - -
2005 $19,509,852,207 $21,594,980,960 - -
2006 $20,910,512,975 $22,417,659,743 - -
2007 $23,928,250,433 $23,387,803,923 - -
2008 $27,715,142,033 $24,053,813,244 - -
2009 $27,932,970,317 $24,674,221,649 $23,356,470,000 -
2010 $27,507,501,821 $25,389,533,435 $25,995,513,000 -
2011 $30,630,910,495 $26,247,499,414 $29,005,020,000 -
2012 $30,155,062,329 $27,461,703,152 $29,890,710,000 -
2013 $33,728,621,180 $28,833,560,541 $30,588,922,000 -
2014 $36,386,544,706 $30,482,787,768 $30,554,460,000 -
2015 $32,210,233,020 $32,210,233,020 $30,723,030,000 -
2016 $33,814,337,044 $33,671,222,913 $28,882,640,000 -
2017 $36,098,547,033 $34,863,580,363 $29,105,440,000 -
2018 $39,955,552,190 $36,242,614,249 $28,536,400,000 -
2019 $39,667,757,528 $37,502,066,833 $28,222,880,000 -
2020 $40,773,241,177 $37,599,547,049 $27,728,240,000 -
2021 $45,011,937,347 $38,854,942,335 $32,301,720,000 -
2022 $44,347,206,073 $40,306,867,605 $28,971,360,000 -
2023 $49,279,410,983 $41,616,173,715 $32,155,360,000 -
2024 $51,326,764,685 $43,143,796,435 $34,943,120,000 -

Economic indicators

Cameroon North Korea
Gross domestic product
$51.3B
2024
$34.9B
2024
GDP rank
92/197
2024
106/197
2024
GDP growth
4.15%
2023-2024
8.67%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$1,762
2024
$1,319
2024
GDP per capita rank
159/197
2024
168/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$5,591
2024
$1,700
2015
Government debt
$21.9B
2024
n/a
Debt-to-GDP ratio
39.9%
2025
n/a
Government debt per person
$752
2024
n/a
Government debt per person rank
152/185
2024
n/a
Average annual personal income after taxes
$1,492
2025
$1,642
2025
Income share by richest 10%
31.1%
2021
n/a
Income share by poorest 10%
2.1%
2021
n/a
Government expenditure, % of GDP
16.3%
2025
n/a
Consumer prices inflation
4.53%
2023-2024
n/a
Unemployment rate
3.28%
2021
25.6%
2013
Population
30491011
26621357

GDP per capita in Cameroon vs North Korea

Cameroon's GDP per capita is $1,762, ranking 159/197, compared to $1,319 in North Korea, ranking 168/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Cameroon ranks 155th at $5,591, while North Korea ranks 192nd at $1,700.

Cameroon
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
North Korea
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Cameroon North Korea
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1960 $119.1 - - -
1961 $124.6 - - -
1962 $130 - - -
1963 $131.6 - - -
1964 $139.2 - - -
1965 $142.7 - - -
1966 $145.8 - - -
1967 $156.6 - - -
1968 $170.8 - - -
1969 $175.2 - - -
1970 $178.5 - - -
1971 $186.7 - - -
1972 $220.1 - - -
1973 $271.8 - - -
1974 $299.9 - - -
1975 $386 - - -
1976 $381 - - -
1977 $435 - - -
1978 $582 - - -
1979 $718 - - -
1980 $784 - - -
1981 $750 - - -
1982 $732 - - -
1983 $746 - - -
1984 $772 - - -
1985 $875 - - -
1986 $1,179 - - -
1987 $1,258 - - -
1988 $1,145 - - -
1989 $1,001 - - -
1990 $1,087 $2,032 - -
1991 $1,015 $1,963 - -
1992 $1,005 $1,890 - -
1993 $1,310 $1,731 - -
1994 $701 $1,752 - -
1995 $832 $1,790 - -
1996 $827 $1,850 - -
1997 $783 $1,915 - -
1998 $799 $1,975 - -
1999 $796 $2,039 - $1,000
2000 $709 $2,108 - $1,000
2001 $715 $2,191 - -
2002 $790 $2,263 - $1,000
2003 $988 $2,368 - $1,300
2004 $1,133 $2,533 - $1,700
2005 $1,143 $2,598 - $1,700
2006 $1,191 $2,704 - $1,800
2007 $1,326 $2,818 - $1,700
2008 $1,492 $2,870 - $1,800
2009 $1,461 $2,879 $939 $1,800
2010 $1,399 $2,914 $1,040 -
2011 $1,514 $2,989 $1,156 $1,800
2012 $1,449 $3,060 $1,186 -
2013 $1,576 $3,239 $1,208 -
2014 $1,649 $3,422 $1,201 $1,800
2015 $1,415 $3,498 $1,201 $1,700
2016 $1,442 $3,627 $1,124 -
2017 $1,496 $3,767 $1,127 -
2018 $1,611 $4,011 $1,100 -
2019 $1,555 $4,241 $1,084 -
2020 $1,556 $4,365 $1,061 -
2021 $1,672 $4,794 $1,231 -
2022 $1,605 $5,189 $1,100 -
2023 $1,737 $5,406 $1,217 -
2024 $1,762 $5,591 $1,319 -

Top exports between countries

Cameroon
Export category Export value
Raw agricultural goods $25K
Wood & paper products $10K
North Korea
Export category Export value
Machinery & equipment $153K
Chemicals & pharma $5K

Balance of trade

Cameroon North Korea
Current account balance
-$2.02B
2023
n/a
Current account balance ranking
143/189
2023
n/a
Current account balance, % of GDP
-4.1%
2023
n/a
Goods imports
$7.74B
2023
n/a
Goods exports
$6.34B
2023
n/a
Service imports
$2.55B
2023
n/a
Service exports
$2.01B
2023
n/a
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
21.1%
2024
n/a
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
14.7%
2024
n/a

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

Cameroon North Korea
Economic freedom 52.1 3
Economic freedom ranking 149/197 197/197
Property rights 31.3 15.7
Government integrity 20.7 4
Judicial effectiveness 10.3 5.9
Tax burden 72.9 0
Government spending 91.2 0
Fiscal health 92.3 0
Business freedom 48.8 5
Labor freedom 46.5 5
Monetary freedom 73.7 0
Trade freedom 57.2 0
Investment freedom 30 0
Financial freedom 50 0

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Cameroon is 52.1, ranking 149/197, compared to 3 for North Korea, ranking 197/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

Cameroon
North Korea
Year Economic freedom index
Cameroon North Korea
1995 51.3 8.9
1996 45.7 8.9
1997 44.6 8.9
1998 48 8.9
1999 50.3 8.9
2000 49.9 8.9
2001 53.3 8.9
2002 52.8 8.9
2003 52.7 8.9
2004 52.3 8.9
2005 53 8
2006 54.6 4
2007 55.6 3
2008 54.3 3
2009 53 2
2010 52.3 1
2011 51.8 1
2012 51.8 1
2013 52.3 1.5
2014 52.6 1
2015 51.9 1.3
2016 54.2 2.3
2017 51.8 4.9
2018 51.9 5.8
2019 52.4 5.9
2020 53.6 4.2
2021 53.4 5.2
2022 52.9 3
2023 51.9 2.9
2024 53.6 2.9
2025 52.1 3

More economic indicators

Cameroon North Korea
Services, % of GDP
49.9%
2024
n/a
Industry, % of GDP
25.6%
2024
n/a
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
17.4%
2024
n/a
GNI, Atlas method
$49B
2024
n/a
GNI per capita, PPP
$5,490
2024
n/a
Total reserves including gold
$4.88B
2023
n/a
Total reserves ranking
103/177
2023
n/a
Net foreign direct investment
-$901M
2023
n/a
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$925M
2024
$203K
1989
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$5.56M
2024
n/a
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
3.53%
2023
n/a
Poverty at national poverty lines
37.7%
2021
n/a
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
21.4%
2024
n/a

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

Compare countries by 7 more topics

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.