Page last modified 21 August 2023
Cameroon
Community
Area 475,440� square kilometres (land area 472,710 square kilometres)
Population,
2,620,000 (1900)
4,890,000 (1950)
5,176,000 (1960) +5.8%
6,527,000 (1970) +26.1%
8,618,000 (1980) +32.0%
11,715,000 (1990) +35.9%
15,274,000 (2000) +30.4%
20,340,000 (2010) +33.2%
26,546,000 (2020) +30.5%
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Muslim Sunni |
No religion |
|
1900 |
94.6 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
5.0 |
0.0 |
|
1950 |
|
16.0 |
20.0 |
|
|
|
1975 |
|
|
20.0 |
|
|
|
1980 |
21.0 |
|
20.0 |
22.0 |
|
|
1990 |
40.0 |
|
20.0 |
20.0 |
|
|
2010 |
3.0 |
30.0 |
40.0 |
17.9 |
6.0 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
44.0 (+17.0) |
199.0 |
27.0 |
38.0 |
3.5 |
5.1 |
|
1962 |
5.8 |
46.0 (+24.2) |
158.1 |
21.8 |
40.4 |
3.7 |
15.1 |
|
1972 |
6.3 |
46.0 (+27.4) |
125.1 |
18.6 |
42.8 |
3.7 |
22.9 |
|
1980 |
6.4 |
45.0 (+29.0) |
110.3 |
16.0 |
44.6 |
3.7 |
31.9 |
|
1990 |
5.9 |
41.3 (+26.3) |
88.5 |
14.8 |
46.3 |
3.5 |
39.7 |
|
2000 |
5.0 |
38.0 (+22.9) |
90.7 |
15.1 |
45.0 |
3.2 |
45.5 |
|
2010 |
4.5 |
36.0 (+24.3) |
67.1 |
11.7 |
43.5 |
2.8 |
51.5 |
|
2015 |
4.8 |
36.8 (+26.5) |
55.7 |
10.3 |
43.0 |
2.7 |
54.4 |
|
2017 |
4.6 |
35.9 (+26.1) |
52.2 |
9.8 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
50.6 |
|
42.6 |
2.7 |
56.4 |
Life expectancy,
36.5 (1950); 35.0 (M), 38.0 (F)
41.5 (1960); 40.2 (M), 42.9 (F)
46.1 (1970); 44.7 (M), 47.5 (F)
51.2 (1980); 49.7 (M), 52.8 (F)
52.2 (1990); 50.8 (M), 53.4 (F)
50.0 (2000); 49.1 (M), 50.9 (F)
55.4 (2010); 54.3 (M), 56.6 (F)
59.4 (2020); 58.1 (M), 60.7 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Bamenda |
Douala1 |
Garoua |
Maroua |
YAOUNDE2 |
|
1957 |
|
119 |
15 |
|
53 |
|
1970 |
40 |
229 |
20 |
32 |
114 |
|
1976 |
67 |
350 |
69 |
67 |
250 |
|
1980 |
|
637 |
75 |
80 |
430 |
|
1992 |
160 |
1,250 |
204 |
162 |
1,120 |
|
2001 |
316 |
1,500 |
356 |
|
1,248 |
|
2005 |
|
|
|
201 |
|
|
2010 |
|
2,053 |
625 |
|
1,739 |
|
2012 |
349 |
2,447 |
|
|
2,440 |
1Douala was known as Kamerunstadt until 1907.
2Yaounde was established by German colonisers as a
military port in 1899, It became the capital of French
Cameroon in 1921.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1960 |
619 |
0.11 |
120 |
3.99 |
|
1965 |
814 |
0.11 |
141 |
3.68 |
|
1970 |
1,070 |
0.10 |
177 |
3.37 |
|
1975 |
2,610 |
0.16 |
341 |
4.36 |
|
1980 |
6,470 |
0.23 |
775 |
6.15 |
|
1985 |
8,150 |
0.19 |
817 |
4.47 |
|
1990 |
11,150 |
0.19 |
968 |
4.04 |
|
1995 |
7,960 |
0.11 |
648 |
2.16 |
|
2000 |
8,850 |
0.09 |
577 |
1.58 |
|
2005 |
17,000 |
0.13 |
952 |
2.15 |
|
2010 |
23,622 |
0.16 |
1,183 |
2.45 |
|
2015 |
28,415 |
0.16 |
1,244 |
2.21 |
|
2016 |
24,200 |
0.13 |
1,033 |
1.80 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
87.0 |
|
5.0 |
|
8.0 |
|
1970 |
|
83.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
26.8 |
80.0 |
|
7.0 |
|
10.0 |
|
1990 |
24.0 |
75.0 |
31.0 |
11.0 |
45.0 |
14.0 |
|
2010 |
20.0 |
70.0 |
30.9 |
13.0 |
49.1 |
17.0 |
|
2016 |
23.0 |
|
28.2 |
|
48.8 |
|
Communications
Language Official; English and French
Literacy
19.0% (1960)
55.2% (1980); 70.0% (M), 41.0% (F)
56.5% (1985); 68.0% (M), 45.0% (F)
63.0% (1995); 75.0% (M), 52.0% (F)
67.9% (2003); 77.0% (M), 59.8% (F)
75.0% (2015); 81.2% (M), 68.9% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways
First railway opened 1909.
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
|
1910 |
|
|
|
|
|
108 |
|
1920 |
|
|
|
|
|
378 |
|
1930 |
|
|
|
|
|
504 |
|
1940 |
|
|
|
|
|
504 |
|
1950 |
|
|
|
|
|
504 |
|
1960 |
8,800 |
1,300 |
|
|
|
520 |
|
1961 |
9,273 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1965 |
|
|
35,700 |
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
2,100 |
110,700 |
|
|
|
|
1980 |
|
|
|
45,893 |
|
|
|
1983 |
|
|
|
62,500 |
17,000 |
|
|
1988 |
|
|
160,000 |
80,000 |
46,000 |
1,100 |
|
1996 |
|
|
|
98,000 |
64,350 |
|
|
2000 |
34,300 |
4,300 |
|
|
|
1,016 |
|
2008 |
50,000 |
5,000 |
260,000 |
200,000 |
|
|
|
2011 |
51,350 |
|
293,000 |
|
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
322,000 |
|
|
987 |
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began 1983
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1960 |
4,234 |
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
1974 |
|
|
603,000 |
|
|
|
|
1980 |
17,024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1984 |
|
|
785,000 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
40,218 |
|
1,650,000 |
270,000 |
|
|
|
1994 |
|
1,600 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
2,800 |
2,000,000 |
320,000 |
20,000 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
2000 |
95,000 |
103,300 |
2,400,000 |
|
50,000 |
20,000 |
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
60,000 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
160,000 |
167,000 |
|
2005 |
|
2,260,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
850,000 |
|
|
|
2010 |
496,500 |
8,156,000 |
|
|
|
760,000 |
|
2012 |
737,400 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
1,051,073 |
16,332,000 |
|
|
|
6,090,000 |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
6,128,400 |
Tourism: Visitors to Cameroon,
96,060 (1974)
89,990 (1977)
110,000 (1982)
101,000 (1986)
89,000 (1990)
100,000 (1995)
277,000 (2000)
190,000 (2004)
451,000 (2006)
573,000 (2010)
822,000 (2014)