Demographics of Cameroon
The demographic profile of Cameroon is complex for a country of its population. Cameroon comprises an estimated 250 distinct ethnic groups, which may be formed into five large regional-cultural divisions:
- western highlanders (Semi-Bantu or grassfielders), including the Bamileke, Bamum (or Bamoun), and many smaller Tikar groups in the Northwest (est. 38% of total population);
- coastal tropical forest peoples, including the Bassa, Duala (or Douala), and many smaller groups in the Southwest (12%);
- southern tropical forest peoples, including the Beti-Pahuin, Bulu (a subgroup of Beti-Pahuin), Fang (subgroup of Beti-Pahuin), Maka, Njem, and Baka pygmies (18%);
- predominantly Islamic peoples of the northern semi-arid regions (the Sahel) and central highlands, including the Fulani (French: Peul or Peuhl; Fula: Fulɓe) (14%); and
- the "Kirdi", non-Islamic or recently Islamic peoples of the northern desert and central highlands (18%).
Cameroon population pyramid in 2020
113,000[1] Igbo people live in Cameroon. The Cameroon government held two national censuses during the country's first 44 years as an independent country, in 1976 and again in 1987. Results from the second head count were never published. A third census, expected to take years to produce results, began on November 11, 2005, with a three-week interviewing phase. It is one of a series of projects and reforms required by the International Monetary Fund as prerequisites for foreign debt relief. The first results were published in 2010.[2]
A Tikar family in the Northwest Province
Population
According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[3][4] the total population was 25,216,267 in 2018, compared to only 4 466 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.6%, 55.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.5% was 65 years or older.[5]
| Total population | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4 466 000 | 39.6 | 56.9 | 3.5 |
| 1955 | 4 901 000 | 40.1 | 56.4 | 3.5 |
| 1960 | 5 409 000 | 40.6 | 55.9 | 3.6 |
| 1965 | 6 049 000 | 41.5 | 54.9 | 3.6 |
| 1970 | 6 842 000 | 42.4 | 54.0 | 3.6 |
| 1975 | 7 838 000 | 43.6 | 52.7 | 3.7 |
| 1980 | 9 110 000 | 44.6 | 51.8 | 3.6 |
| 1985 | 10 519 000 | 45.2 | 51.2 | 3.6 |
| 1990 | 12 181 000 | 45.2 | 51.3 | 3.6 |
| 1995 | 13 940 000 | 44.4 | 52.1 | 3.5 |
| 2000 | 15 678 000 | 42.8 | 53.7 | 3.5 |
| 2005 | 17 554 000 | 41.6 | 54.9 | 3.5 |
| 2010 | 19 599 000 | 40.6 | 55.9 | 3.5 |
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.I.2010): [6]
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 9 599 224 | 9 806 876 | 19 406 100 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 1 662 298 | 1 624 936 | 3 287 234 | 16.94 |
| 5–9 | 1 412 467 | 1 370 992 | 2 783 459 | 14.34 |
| 10–14 | 1 227 470 | 1 167 201 | 2 394 671 | 12.34 |
| 15–19 | 1 068 509 | 1 101 526 | 2 170 035 | 11.18 |
| 20–24 | 855 334 | 981 955 | 1 837 289 | 9.47 |
| 25–29 | 712 550 | 813 266 | 1 525 816 | 7.86 |
| 30–34 | 588 210 | 621 397 | 1 209 607 | 6.23 |
| 35–39 | 460 394 | 482 319 | 942 713 | 4.86 |
| 40–44 | 388 539 | 405 307 | 793 846 | 4.09 |
| 45–49 | 323 507 | 316 740 | 640 247 | 3.30 |
| 50–54 | 261 626 | 260 284 | 521 910 | 2.69 |
| 55–59 | 178 876 | 159 112 | 337 988 | 1.74 |
| 60–64 | 155 208 | 160 671 | 315 879 | 1.63 |
| 65-69 | 110 645 | 116 645 | 227 290 | 1.17 |
| 70-74 | 88 969 | 100 602 | 189 571 | 0.98 |
| 75-79 | 47 173 | 50 905 | 98 078 | 0.51 |
| 80-84 | 31 609 | 39 976 | 71 585 | 0.37 |
| 85-89 | 12 109 | 14 455 | 26 564 | 0.14 |
| 90-94 | 6 942 | 8 773 | 15 715 | 0.08 |
| 95+ | 6 789 | 9 814 | 16 603 | 0.09 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 4 302 235 | 4 163 129 | 8 465 364 | 43.62 |
| 15–64 | 4 992 753 | 5 302 577 | 10 295 330 | 53.05 |
| 65+ | 304 236 | 341 170 | 645 406 | 3.33 |
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2019): [7]
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 12 609 256 | 12 883 098 | 25 492 354 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 1 904 057 | 1 975 656 | 3 879 713 | 15.22 |
| 5–9 | 1 720 605 | 1 757 707 | 3 478 312 | 13.64 |
| 10–14 | 1 574 388 | 1 524 415 | 3 098 803 | 12.16 |
| 15–19 | 1 386 436 | 1 346 672 | 2 733 108 | 10.72 |
| 20–24 | 1 213 959 | 1 171 500 | 2 385 459 | 9.36 |
| 25–29 | 1 035 624 | 985 314 | 2 020 938 | 7.93 |
| 30–34 | 888 422 | 967 529 | 1 855 951 | 7.28 |
| 35–39 | 684 460 | 786 728 | 1 471 188 | 5.77 |
| 40–44 | 584 695 | 650 891 | 1 235 586 | 4.85 |
| 45–49 | 438 096 | 447 171 | 885 267 | 3.47 |
| 50–54 | 352 927 | 392 864 | 745 791 | 2.93 |
| 55–59 | 275 690 | 281 896 | 557 586 | 2.19 |
| 60–64 | 220 891 | 242 450 | 463 341 | 1.82 |
| 65-69 | 143 542 | 141 522 | 285 064 | 1.12 |
| 70-74 | 101 474 | 110 948 | 212 422 | 0.83 |
| 75-79 | 49 486 | 55 219 | 104 705 | 0.41 |
| 80+ | 34 504 | 44 616 | 79 120 | 0.31 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 5 199 050 | 5 257 778 | 10 456 828 | 41.02 |
| 15–64 | 7 130 686 | 7 273 015 | 14 403 701 | 56.50 |
| 65+ | 279 520 | 352 305 | 631 825 | 2.48 |
Fertility and births
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[8]
| Year | CBR (Total) | TFR (Total) | CBR (Urban) | TFR (Urban) | CBR (Rural) | TFR (Rural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 39 | 5.82 (5.17) | 5.17 (4.52) | 6.29 (5.66) | ||
| 1998 | 37.4 | 5.2 (4.6) | 31.5 | 3.9 (3.4) | 40.1 | 5.8 (5.3) |
| 2004 | 37.8 | 5.0 (4.5) | 34.9 | 4.0 (3.7) | 40.5 | 6.1 (5.6) |
| 2011 | 38.1 | 5.1 (4.5) | 34.6 | 4.0 | 41.3 | 6.4 |
| 2018 | 36.8 | 4.8 (4.3) | 32.9 | 3.8 (3.4) | 40.7 | 6.0 (5.5) |
Fertility data as of 2011 (DHS Program):[9]
| Region | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adamaoua | 5.2 | 8.6 | 6.5 |
| Centre (except Yaoundé) | 5.6 | 8.8 | 5.5 |
| Douala | 3.2 | 8.1 | 4.5 |
| Est | 5.4 | 12.0 | 5.6 |
| Extrême-Nord | 6.8 | 14.8 | 7.3 |
| Littoral (except Douala) | 4.6 | 8.4 | 5.1 |
| Nord | 6.5 | 12.4 | 7.1 |
| Nord-Ouest | 4.4 | 6.9 | 5.4 |
| Ouest | 6.0 | 10.1 | 5.8 |
| Sud | 4.6 | 9.6 | 5.2 |
| Sud-Ouest | 4.0 | 7.6 | 5.5 |
| Yaoundé | 3.5 | 6.5 | 4.4 |
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events is in Cameroon not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[5]
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR* | CDR* | NC* | TFR* | IMR* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 203,000 | 117,000 | 86,000 | 43.4 | 24.9 | 18.5 | 5.68 | 169 |
| 1955–1960 | 222,000 | 120,000 | 102,000 | 43.0 | 23.3 | 19.7 | 5.68 | 158 |
| 1960–1965 | 252,000 | 124,000 | 128,000 | 44.0 | 21.6 | 22.3 | 5.90 | 145 |
| 1965–1970 | 287,000 | 130,000 | 157,000 | 44.6 | 20.1 | 24.5 | 6.10 | 133 |
| 1970–1975 | 332,000 | 136,000 | 196,000 | 45.2 | 18.3 | 26.8 | 6.30 | 120 |
| 1975–1980 | 382,000 | 143,000 | 239,000 | 45.1 | 16.5 | 28.6 | 6.40 | 108 |
| 1980–1985 | 439,000 | 143,000 | 296,000 | 44.7 | 15.0 | 29.7 | 6.40 | 98 |
| 1985–1990 | 487,000 | 148,000 | 339,000 | 42.9 | 14.1 | 28.9 | 6.10 | 93 |
| 1990–1995 | 536,000 | 172,000 | 364,000 | 41.0 | 14.0 | 27.0 | 5.70 | 94 |
| 1995–2000 | 563,000 | 204,000 | 359,000 | 38.0 | 14.6 | 23.5 | 5.10 | 96 |
| 2000–2005 | 632,000 | 243,000 | 389,000 | 38.0 | 15.3 | 22.7 | 4.92 | 97 |
| 2005–2010 | 691,000 | 270,000 | 421,000 | 37.2 | 15.0 | 22.2 | 4.67 | 94 |
| * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1,000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1,000); NC = natural change (per 1,000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1,000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) | ||||||||
Life expectancy
| Period | Life expectancy in Years[10] |
|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 38.54 |
| 1955–1960 |  40.45 |
| 1960–1965 | 42.68 |
| 1965–1970 | 44.85 |
| 1970–1975 | 47.42 |
| 1975–1980 | 50.06 |
| 1980–1985 | 52.06 |
| 1985–1990 | 52.79 |
| 1990–1995 |  51.25 |
| 1995–2000 | 49.34 |
| 2000–2005 | 51.45 |
| 2005–2010 | 54.39 |
| 2010–2015 | 56.39 |
Ethnic groups
Speakers of Makaa–Njem languages in Cameroon and neighbouring countries.
The ethnic groups of Cameroon who speak Duala languages.
Languages
Linguistic survey of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Benin
There are 24 major African language groups in Cameroon; additionally, English and French are official languages. Cameroonian Pidgin English is also widely spoken.
Peoples concentrated in the Southwest and Northwest Provinces—around Buea and Bamenda—use standard English and Cameroonian Pidgin English, as well as their local languages. In the three northern provinces—Adamawa, North, and Far North—either French or Fulfulde (the language of the Fulani) is widely spoken. Elsewhere, French is the principal second language, although pidgin and some local languages such as Ewondo, the dialect of a Beti clan from the Yaoundé area, have a wide currency. In Far North Region the northernmost constituent province of Cameroon, Arab Shuwa (an Arab dialect) is spoken by the Baggara Arabs (also called Arab Shuwa).[12]
Indigenous languages of Cameroon include:
Other demographic statistics
Estimated number of inhabitants (in thousands), based on 2005 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.[13]
- One birth every 34 seconds
- One death every 2 minutes
- One net migrant every 111 minutes
- Net gain of one person every 46 seconds
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.[14]
Population
- 29,321,637 (2022 est.)
- 25,640,965 (July 2018 est.)
- 24,994,885 (2017 est.)
- Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2018 est.)
Religion
Roman Catholic 38.3%, Protestant 25.5%, other Christian 6.9%, Muslim 24.4%, animist 2.2%, other 0.5%, none 2.2% (2018 est.)
Age structure
Population pyramid of Cameroon in 2020
- 0-14 years: 42.34% (male 5,927,640/female 5,820,226)
- 15-24 years: 20.04% (male 2,782,376/female 2,776,873)
- 25-54 years: 30.64% (male 4,191,151/female 4,309,483)
- 55-64 years: 3.87% (male 520,771/female 552,801)
- 65 years and over: 3.11% (male 403,420/female 460,248) (2020 est.)
- 0-14 years: 42.15% (male 5,445,142 /female 5,362,166)
- 15-24 years: 19.6% (male 2,524,031 /female 2,502,072)
- 25-54 years: 31.03% (male 4,001,963 /female 3,954,258)
- 55-64 years: 3.99% (male 499,101 /female 524,288)
- 65 years and over: 3.23% (male 384,845 /female 443,099) (2018 est.)
Birth rate
- 35.53 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 14th
- 35 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 21st
- 35.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate
- 7.73 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 101st
- 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 49th
- 9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Total fertility rate
- 4.55 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 19th
- 4.58 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 24th
- According to Cameroon government website, average children per woman was 5.0 in 2004,[15] 4.7 in 2016.
Net migration rate
- -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 119th
- -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 104th
- -0.1 migrants/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
- 20.1 years (2018 est.)
- note: median age at first birth among women 25-49
- 19.7 years (2011 est.)
- note: median age at first birth among women 25-29
Median age
- total: 18.5 years. Country comparison to the world: 209th
- male: 18.2 years
- female: 18.8 years (2020 est.)
- total: 18.6 years. Country comparison to the world: 208th
- male: 18.5 years
- female: 18.7 years (2018 est.)
- total: 18.5 years
- male: 18.4 years
- female: 18.7 years (2017 est.)
Population growth rate
- 2.75% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 15th
- 2.54% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 20th
- 2.56% (2013 est.)
Urbanization
- urban population: 58.7% of total population (2022)
- rate of urbanization: 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- urban population: 56.4% of total population (2018)
- rate of urbanization: 3.63% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
- Urban population: 58% of total population (2010)
- Rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2010–15 est.)
Sex ratio
- At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
- Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 63.27 years Country comparison to the world: 210th
- male: 61.49 years
- female: 65.09 years (2022 est.)
- total population: 59 years
- male: 57.6 years
- female: 60.4 years (2017 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
- 19.3% (2018)
- 34.4% (2014)
Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 85.9 (2015 est.)
- youth dependency ratio: 80 (2015 est.)
- elderly dependency ratio: 5.9 (2015 est.)
- potential support ratio: 17 (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- total: 12 years
- male: 13 years
- female: 11 years (2016)
HIV/AIDS
- Adult prevalence rate: 3.7% (2017 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: 510,000 (2017 est.)
- Deaths: 24,000 (2017 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- Degree of risk: very high
- Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and hepatitis E, and typhoid fever
- Vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
- Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
- Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
- Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality
- Noun: Cameroonian(s)
- Adjective: Cameroonian
Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 77.1% (2018 est.)
- Male: 82.6%
- Female: 71.6%
Education expenditure
- 2.8% of GDP (2013)
References
- "PeopleGroups.org - Igbo".
- Cameroon - Third General Census of Population and Housing 2005 - IPUMS Subset (download first findings "Rapport de presentation des résultats définitifs" - pdf)
- ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- "Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision". Esa.un.org. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
- "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
- "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
- "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". microdata.worldbank.org.
- "Cameroun : Enquête Démographique et de Santé et à Indicateurs Multiples 2011" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
- "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
- "Africa ::CAMEROON". CIA The World Factbook. 14 April 2022.
- Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005): "Languages of Cameroon". Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Accessed 25 June 2006.
- "Cameroon Population 2022", World Population Review
- "The World FactBook - Cameroon", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - "LA POPULATION DU CAMEROUN EN 2010" (PDF). Statistics-cameroon.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
- This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2008 edition".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demographics of Cameroon. |
- (in French) Institut National de la Statistique du Cameroun
- Cameroon Undertakes Nationwide Census, a November 2005 article from Voice of America
- UNDP. 2006. Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Human Development Report 2006. New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
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