Cameroon is a lower-middle-income country with a population of 29.1M people. The capital is Yaounde, while the largest city is Douala, with 2.77M residents. Cameroon shares land borders with Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Cameroon ranks 92/197 by GDP ($51.3B) and 159/197 by GDP per capita ($1,762). The top category for both exports and imports is raw materials & minerals.
Main facts and rankings
Cameroon
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
30491011
|
51/197 |
| GDP |
$51.3B
2024 |
92/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$1,762
2024 |
159/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$5,591
2024 |
155/197 |
| Government debt |
$21.9B
2024 |
96/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
39.9%
2025 |
136/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$752
2024 |
152/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$1,492
2025 |
183/197 |
| Land area | 182,514 sq mi | 52/197 |
| Population density | 159.6 ppl/mi² | 127/197 |
| Fertility rate | 4.32 | 17/196 |
| Median age | 19 years | 180/196 |
| Life expectancy | 64.2 years | 174/197 |
Cameroon trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $614,206,068 |
| 1961 | $652,777,608 |
| 1962 | $694,247,864 |
| 1963 | $718,320,845 |
| 1964 | $776,650,177 |
| 1965 | $814,083,266 |
| 1966 | $851,112,535 |
| 1967 | $936,175,260 |
| 1968 | $1,046,191,218 |
| 1969 | $1,100,551,489 |
| 1970 | $1,151,216,993 |
| 1971 | $1,236,941,394 |
| 1972 | $1,498,251,890 |
| 1973 | $1,901,393,361 |
| 1974 | $2,157,415,533 |
| 1975 | $2,857,037,371 |
| 1976 | $2,898,090,002 |
| 1977 | $3,394,664,024 |
| 1978 | $4,662,852,583 |
| 1979 | $5,919,002,983 |
| 1980 | $6,674,569,047 |
| 1981 | $6,610,938,617 |
| 1982 | $6,611,255,964 |
| 1983 | $6,870,200,010 |
| 1984 | $7,311,938,026 |
| 1985 | $8,544,810,498 |
| 1986 | $11,857,056,199 |
| 1987 | $13,049,659,981 |
| 1988 | $12,236,057,362 |
| 1989 | $11,012,566,195 |
| 1990 | $12,314,482,628 |
| 1991 | $11,840,192,296 |
| 1992 | $12,071,775,335 |
| 1993 | $16,181,814,713 |
| 1994 | $8,902,446,252 |
| 1995 | $10,864,772,471 |
| 1996 | $11,093,538,846 |
| 1997 | $10,789,458,433 |
| 1998 | $11,298,144,990 |
| 1999 | $11,565,826,465 |
| 2000 | $10,566,579,295 |
| 2001 | $10,953,485,349 |
| 2002 | $12,417,251,350 |
| 2003 | $15,970,315,035 |
| 2004 | $18,826,214,136 |
| 2005 | $19,509,852,207 |
| 2006 | $20,910,512,975 |
| 2007 | $23,928,250,433 |
| 2008 | $27,715,142,033 |
| 2009 | $27,932,970,317 |
| 2010 | $27,507,501,821 |
| 2011 | $30,630,910,495 |
| 2012 | $30,155,062,329 |
| 2013 | $33,728,621,180 |
| 2014 | $36,386,544,706 |
| 2015 | $32,210,233,020 |
| 2016 | $33,814,337,044 |
| 2017 | $36,098,547,033 |
| 2018 | $39,955,552,190 |
| 2019 | $39,667,757,528 |
| 2020 | $40,773,241,177 |
| 2021 | $45,011,937,347 |
| 2022 | $44,347,206,073 |
| 2023 | $49,279,410,983 |
| 2024 | $51,326,764,685 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1991 | $1,015 |
| 1992 | $1,005 |
| 1993 | $1,310 |
| 1994 | $701 |
| 1995 | $832 |
| 1996 | $827 |
| 1997 | $783 |
| 1998 | $799 |
| 1999 | $796 |
| 2000 | $709 |
| 2001 | $715 |
| 2002 | $790 |
| 2003 | $988 |
| 2004 | $1,133 |
| 2005 | $1,143 |
| 2006 | $1,191 |
| 2007 | $1,326 |
| 2008 | $1,492 |
| 2009 | $1,461 |
| 2010 | $1,399 |
| 2011 | $1,514 |
| 2012 | $1,449 |
| 2013 | $1,576 |
| 2014 | $1,649 |
| 2015 | $1,415 |
| 2016 | $1,442 |
| 2017 | $1,496 |
| 2018 | $1,611 |
| 2019 | $1,555 |
| 2020 | $1,556 |
| 2021 | $1,672 |
| 2022 | $1,605 |
| 2023 | $1,737 |
| 2024 | $1,762 |
Cameroon's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 33.1 |
| 1951 | 33.9 |
| 1952 | 34.6 |
| 1953 | 35.5 |
| 1954 | 36.5 |
| 1955 | 37.5 |
| 1956 | 38.4 |
| 1957 | 38.3 |
| 1958 | 39.1 |
| 1959 | 39.8 |
| 1960 | 34.7 |
| 1961 | 35.2 |
| 1962 | 42.6 |
| 1963 | 43.1 |
| 1964 | 43.6 |
| 1965 | 44.2 |
| 1966 | 44.8 |
| 1967 | 45.6 |
| 1968 | 46.4 |
| 1969 | 47.2 |
| 1970 | 48 |
| 1971 | 48.6 |
| 1972 | 49.1 |
| 1973 | 49.5 |
| 1974 | 49.7 |
| 1975 | 49.9 |
| 1976 | 50 |
| 1977 | 50.1 |
| 1978 | 50.3 |
| 1979 | 50.5 |
| 1980 | 50.9 |
| 1981 | 51.2 |
| 1982 | 51.8 |
| 1983 | 52.4 |
| 1984 | 52.9 |
| 1985 | 53.5 |
| 1986 | 53.6 |
| 1987 | 54.2 |
| 1988 | 54.4 |
| 1989 | 54.4 |
| 1990 | 54.3 |
| 1991 | 54.2 |
| 1992 | 54.1 |
| 1993 | 53.9 |
| 1994 | 53.5 |
| 1995 | 53.3 |
| 1996 | 53.2 |
| 1997 | 53.1 |
| 1998 | 53 |
| 1999 | 53.2 |
| 2000 | 53.3 |
| 2001 | 53.6 |
| 2002 | 53.9 |
| 2003 | 54.3 |
| 2004 | 54.6 |
| 2005 | 54.9 |
| 2006 | 55.3 |
| 2007 | 55.7 |
| 2008 | 56.1 |
| 2009 | 56.5 |
| 2010 | 57 |
| 2011 | 57.5 |
| 2012 | 58.2 |
| 2013 | 58.7 |
| 2014 | 59.1 |
| 2015 | 59.7 |
| 2016 | 60.3 |
| 2017 | 60.8 |
| 2018 | 61.2 |
| 2019 | 61.7 |
| 2020 | 61.7 |
| 2021 | 61.1 |
| 2022 | 62.4 |
| 2023 | 63.7 |
| 2024 | 64 |
| 2025 | 64.2 |
Cameroon's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 5,159,057 |
| 1961 | 5,239,273 |
| 1962 | 5,338,620 |
| 1963 | 5,456,623 |
| 1964 | 5,578,257 |
| 1965 | 5,704,686 |
| 1966 | 5,837,295 |
| 1967 | 5,977,318 |
| 1968 | 6,125,863 |
| 1969 | 6,283,462 |
| 1970 | 6,449,793 |
| 1971 | 6,624,408 |
| 1972 | 6,806,872 |
| 1973 | 6,996,660 |
| 1974 | 7,193,583 |
| 1975 | 7,397,120 |
| 1976 | 7,597,962 |
| 1977 | 7,796,501 |
| 1978 | 8,011,921 |
| 1979 | 8,239,641 |
| 1980 | 8,512,219 |
| 1981 | 8,816,377 |
| 1982 | 9,028,678 |
| 1983 | 9,215,397 |
| 1984 | 9,475,078 |
| 1985 | 9,761,730 |
| 1986 | 10,060,342 |
| 1987 | 10,370,749 |
| 1988 | 10,684,968 |
| 1989 | 11,002,745 |
| 1990 | 11,331,821 |
| 1991 | 11,667,180 |
| 1992 | 12,006,353 |
| 1993 | 12,353,131 |
| 1994 | 12,704,903 |
| 1995 | 13,058,516 |
| 1996 | 13,414,757 |
| 1997 | 13,775,214 |
| 1998 | 14,144,860 |
| 1999 | 14,525,140 |
| 2000 | 14,912,631 |
| 2001 | 15,309,490 |
| 2002 | 15,725,528 |
| 2003 | 16,160,340 |
| 2004 | 16,610,487 |
| 2005 | 17,074,594 |
| 2006 | 17,550,407 |
| 2007 | 18,049,896 |
| 2008 | 18,574,056 |
| 2009 | 19,113,974 |
| 2010 | 19,668,066 |
| 2011 | 20,232,304 |
| 2012 | 20,809,529 |
| 2013 | 21,402,376 |
| 2014 | 22,059,893 |
| 2015 | 22,763,414 |
| 2016 | 23,454,161 |
| 2017 | 24,128,601 |
| 2018 | 24,806,383 |
| 2019 | 25,506,095 |
| 2020 | 26,210,558 |
| 2021 | 26,915,758 |
| 2022 | 27,632,771 |
| 2023 | 28,372,687 |
| 2024 | 29,123,744 |
Cameroon's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.73 |
| 1961 | 5.73 |
| 1962 | 5.73 |
| 1963 | 5.73 |
| 1964 | 5.74 |
| 1965 | 5.8 |
| 1966 | 5.85 |
| 1967 | 5.95 |
| 1968 | 6.04 |
| 1969 | 6.14 |
| 1970 | 6.2 |
| 1971 | 6.26 |
| 1972 | 6.29 |
| 1973 | 6.33 |
| 1974 | 6.36 |
| 1975 | 6.4 |
| 1976 | 6.45 |
| 1977 | 6.51 |
| 1978 | 6.55 |
| 1979 | 6.58 |
| 1980 | 6.61 |
| 1981 | 6.61 |
| 1982 | 6.59 |
| 1983 | 6.58 |
| 1984 | 6.56 |
| 1985 | 6.56 |
| 1986 | 6.57 |
| 1987 | 6.54 |
| 1988 | 6.48 |
| 1989 | 6.41 |
| 1990 | 6.36 |
| 1991 | 6.32 |
| 1992 | 6.26 |
| 1993 | 6.16 |
| 1994 | 6.04 |
| 1995 | 5.92 |
| 1996 | 5.8 |
| 1997 | 5.71 |
| 1998 | 5.66 |
| 1999 | 5.6 |
| 2000 | 5.51 |
| 2001 | 5.44 |
| 2002 | 5.44 |
| 2003 | 5.43 |
| 2004 | 5.44 |
| 2005 | 5.42 |
| 2006 | 5.37 |
| 2007 | 5.34 |
| 2008 | 5.29 |
| 2009 | 5.24 |
| 2010 | 5.15 |
| 2011 | 5.05 |
| 2012 | 4.98 |
| 2013 | 4.91 |
| 2014 | 4.84 |
| 2015 | 4.84 |
| 2016 | 4.84 |
| 2017 | 4.8 |
| 2018 | 4.74 |
| 2019 | 4.65 |
| 2020 | 4.56 |
| 2021 | 4.47 |
| 2022 | 4.4 |
| 2023 | 4.32 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 20.5 |
| 1961 | 20.3 |
| 1962 | 20.1 |
| 1963 | 20.1 |
| 1964 | 20 |
| 1965 | 19.9 |
| 1966 | 19.8 |
| 1967 | 19.7 |
| 1968 | 19.5 |
| 1969 | 19.4 |
| 1970 | 19.2 |
| 1971 | 19 |
| 1972 | 18.9 |
| 1973 | 18.8 |
| 1974 | 18.6 |
| 1975 | 18.5 |
| 1976 | 18.3 |
| 1977 | 18.2 |
| 1978 | 18 |
| 1979 | 17.9 |
| 1980 | 17.8 |
| 1981 | 17.8 |
| 1982 | 17.5 |
| 1983 | 17.3 |
| 1984 | 17.1 |
| 1985 | 17.1 |
| 1986 | 17 |
| 1987 | 16.9 |
| 1988 | 16.9 |
| 1989 | 16.8 |
| 1990 | 16.8 |
| 1991 | 16.8 |
| 1992 | 16.8 |
| 1993 | 16.8 |
| 1994 | 16.9 |
| 1995 | 16.9 |
| 1996 | 17 |
| 1997 | 17.1 |
| 1998 | 17.1 |
| 1999 | 17.2 |
| 2000 | 17.3 |
| 2001 | 17.4 |
| 2002 | 17.5 |
| 2003 | 17.5 |
| 2004 | 17.6 |
| 2005 | 17.6 |
| 2006 | 17.7 |
| 2007 | 17.7 |
| 2008 | 17.8 |
| 2009 | 17.8 |
| 2010 | 17.9 |
| 2011 | 17.9 |
| 2012 | 18 |
| 2013 | 18.1 |
| 2014 | 18.2 |
| 2015 | 18.3 |
| 2016 | 18.3 |
| 2017 | 18.4 |
| 2018 | 18.4 |
| 2019 | 18.5 |
| 2020 | 18.5 |
| 2021 | 18.6 |
| 2022 | 18.7 |
| 2023 | 18.8 |
| 2024 | 19 |
Cameroon vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing Cameroon with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
Cameroon: National Statistics
Finance
|
Cameroon
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$49B
2024 |
91/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
16.3%
2025 |
181/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
2.84%
2023 |
150/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
0.93%
2023 |
124/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
34,000
2020 |
85/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-0.84%
2025 |
38/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
3.28%
2021 |
147/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
49.9%
2024 |
131/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
25.6%
2024 |
81/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
52.1
2025 |
149/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
31.1%
2021 |
47/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
2.1%
2021 |
127/169 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$4.88B
2023 |
103/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$630M
2024 |
101/190 |
| International tourist arrivals |
1,021,000
2019 |
91/188 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
7.14%
2020 |
81/184 |
| Banked people share |
60.9%
2024 |
93/158 |
Energy
|
Cameroon
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
384 kg
2022 |
146/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$13.5
2022 |
99/173 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
10.8 megatons
2023 |
105/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
0.38 tons
2023 |
158/187 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
22.9%
2022 |
128/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
79.2%
2021 |
19/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
5.73%
2022 |
82/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
-28.7%
2022 |
110/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
283.7 kWh
2022 |
129/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
53.9%
2021 |
62/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
70.5%
2022 |
24/192 |
| Nuclear share |
0%
2021 |
56/192 |
| Electricity access |
72%
2023 |
156/195 |
Society
|
Cameroon
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.36%
2024 |
52/197 |
| Annual migration change |
-13,892
2024 |
144/196 |
| Urban population |
59.9%
2024 |
104/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.65 ft
2025 |
103/190 |
| Average female height |
5.26 ft
2025 |
97/190 |
| Quality of life index |
20.7
2025 |
177/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
26
2024 |
156/197 |
| Higher education index |
34
2025 |
122/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
4.54
2020 |
74/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
30.2
2019 |
23/197 |
| Visa free countries |
60
2025 |
169/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
78.2%
2020 |
156/196 |
| English speaking |
38%
2023 |
77/197 |
| People using the Internet |
41.9%
2023 |
153/195 |
Health
|
Cameroon
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$72
2022 |
158/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$48.7
2022 |
128/191 |
| Life expectancy |
64.2 years
2025 |
174/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
14.4%
2022 |
55/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
0.14
2022 |
174/193 |
| Age at first childbirth |
20.1 years
2025 |
113/137 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
258
2023 |
27/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
67.2
2023 |
16/192 |
| Obesity rate |
15.5%
2022 |
131/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
6.9%
2024 |
134/195 |
| Air quality index |
7
2025 |
185/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
6.5%
2022 |
156/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
9.6 liters
2020 |
33/186 |
Territory
|
Cameroon
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.32%
2025 |
52/197 |
| Land area per capita |
6,267 sq mi
2024 |
71/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
38,212 sq mi
2025 |
71/194 |
| Forest area |
77,886 sq mi
2025 |
30/196 |
Compare Cameroon with other countries
Relevant pages:
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Facts comparisons
