Urban population in Cameroon
Cameroon: Urban population was 16.63 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Cameroon, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Cameroon stood at 16.63 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Cameroon peaked at 16.63 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 702,246, in 1960.
Cameroon ranks 53rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 702,246 | — |
| 1961 | 730,275 | +4.0% |
| 1962 | 767,115 | +5.0% |
| 1963 | 812,680 | +5.9% |
| 1964 | 864,676 | +6.4% |
| 1965 | 923,060 | +6.8% |
| 1966 | 987,825 | +7.0% |
| 1967 | 1.06 million | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 1.14 million | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 1.22 million | +7.4% |
| 1970 | 1.31 million | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 1.42 million | +8.1% |
| 1972 | 1.55 million | +9.3% |
| 1973 | 1.70 million | +9.6% |
| 1974 | 1.85 million | +9.3% |
| 1975 | 2.01 million | +8.5% |
| 1976 | 2.16 million | +7.2% |
| 1977 | 2.29 million | +6.4% |
| 1978 | 2.44 million | +6.3% |
| 1979 | 2.59 million | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 2.75 million | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 2.93 million | +6.4% |
| 1982 | 3.08 million | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 3.22 million | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 3.39 million | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 3.56 million | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 3.75 million | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 3.94 million | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 4.13 million | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 4.33 million | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 4.54 million | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 4.76 million | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 4.98 million | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 5.20 million | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 5.43 million | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 5.66 million | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 5.90 million | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 6.14 million | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 6.39 million | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 6.64 million | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 6.90 million | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 7.16 million | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 7.43 million | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 7.71 million | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 8.00 million | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 8.30 million | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 8.64 million | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 8.97 million | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 9.30 million | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 9.65 million | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 10.00 million | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 10.36 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 10.74 million | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 11.12 million | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 11.54 million | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 11.98 million | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 12.43 million | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 12.86 million | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 13.30 million | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 13.76 million | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 14.22 million | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 14.68 million | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 15.16 million | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 15.64 million | +3.2% |
| 2024 | 16.14 million | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 16.63 million | +3.1% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 16.63 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.62 million, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 16.63 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 3.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 920,316 | 702,246 | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.93 million | 1.31 million | 2.59 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.51 million | 2.75 million | 4.33 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.56 million | 4.54 million | 6.64 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.21 million | 6.90 million | 9.65 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.81 million | 10.00 million | 13.76 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.41 million | 14.22 million | 16.63 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 50 Netherlands 17.35 million compare
- 51 North Korea 17.06 million compare
- 52 Myanmar 16.78 million compare
- 54 Uganda 16.41 million compare
- 55 Yemen 15.47 million compare
- 56 Mozambique 13.26 million compare
More climate change data for Cameroon
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 90.03 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 15,120 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,419 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9,701 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 20.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 346.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,047 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 798.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 248.42 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.01 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Cameroon?
- Urban population in Cameroon was 16.63 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 16.63 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 702,246 in 1960.
- How does Cameroon rank for urban population?
- Cameroon ranks 53rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.