Population growth in Cameroon
Cameroon: Population growth was 2.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population growth in Cameroon, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 2.6% for population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Cameroon peaked at 3.5% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1961.
Cameroon ranks 22nd of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More climate change data for Cameroon
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.9% (2100)
- Population, total 29.88 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.0% (2025)
- Urban population 16.63 million (2025)
- Urban population 55.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.3307 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 309.25 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.3307 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.3307 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population 0.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Cameroon?
- Population growth in Cameroon was 2.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1981.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1961.
- How does Cameroon rank for population growth?
- Cameroon ranks 22nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.