Cameroon
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 29.9M (2025). World rank 51 of 216; in Africa, 17 of 54. Area: 475,442 km². World rank 55 of 249; in Africa, 24 of 59. Life expectancy: 64 years (2024). World rank 193 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 32 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 22.8M → 29.9M, GDP $32.2B → $58.9B, and GDP per person $1,415 → $1,972.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Cameroon
- Local name
- Cameroon
- Capital
- Yaoundé
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Paul Biya
- Head of government
- Joseph Ngute
- Independence
- January 1, 1960
- Women in parliament
- 33.9% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 29,879,337 2025
- Area
- 475,442 km²
- GDP
- $58.9B 2025
- GDP per person
- $1,972 2025
- Life expectancy
- 64 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, French
- Currency
- Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
- Time zones
- UTC+1
- Calling code
- +237
- Emergency numbers
- 112
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, E
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 402
- Neighbours
- Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria
- Agricultural land
- 21.1% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Cameroon, 4,045 m
- Lowest point
- Bight of Biafra, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 667
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 24
- Warmest month in the capital
- February, 25°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- August, 23°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,604 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 62.8 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2.6% 2025
- Living in cities
- 55.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -15.4K 2025
- Born in another country
- 2.2% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 41.1% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 56.1% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 2.8% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 66.2 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 61.8 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 4.3 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 33.3 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 7 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 33.1%, Muslim 30.6%, Protestant 27.1%, other Christian 6.1%, and folk religions 1.3% (2022)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 39 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 23.8 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 36.1 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 42 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 34.7 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $5,788 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +3.2% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $1,860 2025
- Inflation
- +3.4% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 34 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 16.9% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 24.8% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 50.4% 2025
- Unemployment
- 3.6% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 6.6% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 56.6% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 13.1% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 20.3% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -3.3% 2024
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 1.3% 2024
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 11.3% 2021
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 42.2 2021
- Living on under $3 a day
- 26.7% 2021
Education
- Adult literacy
- 72.5% 2018
- Primary school enrolment
- 114% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 44.8% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 16.7% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 2.8% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 4.6% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $79 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 67.7% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.1 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 0.7 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2.7 2016
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 71% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 40.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 64.8 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 258 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 2.5% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 6.9% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 39.5% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 5.7% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 71.4% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 47.1% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 32% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 6.8 2022
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 30.2 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 8.5 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 36 2025
- Natural hazards
- volcanoes
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 55.6 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.4 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.4 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 40.7% 2024
- Protected areas
- 11% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 9,880 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 1.6% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 46.3% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 108 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 2.1 2022
- Internet domain
- .cm
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 72% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 202 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 79.2% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 65.8% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 13.2% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 331,025 2023
- Airports
- 37 2025
- Railways, km
- 987 2014
Science and innovation
- Scientific articles per year
- 1,547 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 2.1% 2023