Youth dependency ratio in Cameroon
Cameroon: Youth dependency ratio was 75.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
75.3%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
17th
of 236 countries
All-time high
92.0%
in 1990
All-time low
68.0%
in 1954
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Youth dependency ratio in Cameroon, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 75.3% for youth dependency ratio in 2023.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth dependency ratio in Cameroon peaked at 92.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 68.0%, in 1954.
That places Cameroon 17th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Youth dependency ratio in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 69.0% | — |
| 1951 | 68.6% | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 68.3% | -0.4% |
| 1953 | 68.1% | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 68.0% | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 68.0% | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 68.1% | +0.2% |
| 1957 | 68.3% | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 68.7% | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 69.2% | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 69.9% | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 71.1% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 72.0% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 72.7% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 73.5% | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 74.3% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 75.0% | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 75.7% | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 76.4% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 77.2% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 78.0% | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 78.8% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 79.6% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 80.4% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 81.2% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 82.0% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 82.9% | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 84.0% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 85.0% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 86.0% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 86.4% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 86.5% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 88.1% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 90.0% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 90.7% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 91.0% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 91.3% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 91.7% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 91.9% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 92.0% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 92.0% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 91.9% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 91.6% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 91.2% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 90.7% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 89.9% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 89.0% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 88.1% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 87.4% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 86.7% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 86.0% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 85.2% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 84.5% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 84.0% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 83.6% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 83.2% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 82.9% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 82.5% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 82.2% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 82.0% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 81.8% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 81.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.3% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 80.7% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 79.9% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 79.5% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 79.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 79.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 78.5% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 77.8% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 77.1% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 76.2% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 75.3% | -1.2% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 75.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.3%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 75.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.4%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 68.4% | 68.0% | 69.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 73.8% | 69.9% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 81.8% | 78.0% | 86.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 89.9% | 86.4% | 91.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.4% | 87.4% | 92.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.1% | 82.2% | 86.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.4% | 78.5% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.6% | 75.3% | 77.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More population data for Cameroon
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5077 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5809 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.75 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5809 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.6% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6.42 million people (2100)
- Population density 188.01 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1831 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.39 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth dependency ratio in Cameroon?
- Youth dependency ratio in Cameroon was 75.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest youth dependency ratio recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 92.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest youth dependency ratio recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.0% in 1954.
- How does Cameroon rank for youth dependency ratio?
- Cameroon ranks 17th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is youth dependency ratio rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Youth dependency ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children under 15 per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).