Annual change in population in Cameroon
Cameroon: Annual change in population was 739,920 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
739,920 people
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
29th
of 236 countries
All-time high
739,920 people
in 2023
All-time low
65,277 people
in 1951
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Cameroon, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 739,920 people for annual change in population in 2023. That is the highest value across all 73 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Cameroon peaked at 739,920 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 65,277 people, in 1951.
That places Cameroon 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 65,277 people | — |
| 1952 | 69,353 people | +6.2% |
| 1953 | 73,728 people | +6.3% |
| 1954 | 78,443 people | +6.4% |
| 1955 | 83,378 people | +6.3% |
| 1956 | 88,074 people | +5.6% |
| 1957 | 90,594 people | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 93,285 people | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 97,852 people | +4.9% |
| 1960 | 88,987 people | -9.1% |
| 1961 | 80,222 people | -9.8% |
| 1962 | 99,345 people | +23.8% |
| 1963 | 117,989 people | +18.8% |
| 1964 | 121,646 people | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 126,427 people | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 132,612 people | +4.9% |
| 1967 | 140,015 people | +5.6% |
| 1968 | 148,545 people | +6.1% |
| 1969 | 157,610 people | +6.1% |
| 1970 | 166,325 people | +5.5% |
| 1971 | 174,620 people | +5.0% |
| 1972 | 182,458 people | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 189,788 people | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 196,928 people | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 203,537 people | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 200,836 people | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 198,548 people | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 215,407 people | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 227,725 people | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 272,575 people | +19.7% |
| 1981 | 304,160 people | +11.6% |
| 1982 | 212,299 people | -30.2% |
| 1983 | 186,719 people | -12.0% |
| 1984 | 259,690 people | +39.1% |
| 1985 | 286,643 people | +10.4% |
| 1986 | 298,614 people | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 310,411 people | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 314,219 people | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 317,777 people | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 329,078 people | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 335,359 people | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 339,176 people | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 346,769 people | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 351,769 people | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 353,617 people | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 356,244 people | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 360,455 people | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 369,641 people | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 380,288 people | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 387,487 people | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 396,857 people | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 416,045 people | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 434,806 people | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 450,145 people | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 464,114 people | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 475,804 people | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 499,494 people | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 524,155 people | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 539,926 people | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 554,085 people | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 564,249 people | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 577,218 people | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 592,849 people | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 657,515 people | +10.9% |
| 2015 | 703,524 people | +7.0% |
| 2016 | 690,747 people | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 674,444 people | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 677,768 people | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 699,718 people | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 704,471 people | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 705,199 people | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 717,005 people | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 739,920 people | +3.2% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 739,920 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 167,005 people, 4.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 739,920 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940 people, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +39.1% | 186,719 people | 259,690 people |
| 1982 | -30.2% | 304,160 people | 212,299 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 82,220 people | 65,277 people | 97,852 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 121,340 people | 80,222 people | 157,610 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 195,617 people | 166,325 people | 227,725 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 276,311 people | 186,719 people | 317,777 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 352,240 people | 329,078 people | 380,288 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 458,883 people | 387,487 people | 539,926 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 639,212 people | 554,085 people | 703,524 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 716,649 people | 704,471 people | 739,920 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 26 South Africa 833,969 people compare
- 27 Cote d'Ivoire 770,649 people compare
- 28 Madagascar 758,676 people compare
- 30 Uzbekistan 713,358 people compare
- 31 Mali 696,489 people compare
- 32 Algeria 686,831 people compare
More population data for Cameroon
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5809 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5077 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 51,280 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.39 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1831 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Population density 188.01 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6.42 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Cameroon?
- Annual change in population in Cameroon was 739,920 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 739,920 people in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,277 people in 1951.
- How does Cameroon rank for annual change in population?
- Cameroon ranks 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.