Annual population growth in Cameroon
Cameroon: Annual population growth was 739,920 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
739,920
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
29th
of 236 countries
All-time high
739,920
in 2023
All-time low
65,277
in 1951
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual population growth in Cameroon, 1951–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 739,920 for annual population growth 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 population growth in Cameroon peaked at 739,920 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 65,277, 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 population growth in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 65,277 | — |
| 1952 | 69,353 | +6.2% |
| 1953 | 73,728 | +6.3% |
| 1954 | 78,443 | +6.4% |
| 1955 | 83,378 | +6.3% |
| 1956 | 88,074 | +5.6% |
| 1957 | 90,594 | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 93,285 | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 97,852 | +4.9% |
| 1960 | 88,987 | -9.1% |
| 1961 | 80,222 | -9.8% |
| 1962 | 99,345 | +23.8% |
| 1963 | 117,989 | +18.8% |
| 1964 | 121,646 | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 126,427 | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 132,612 | +4.9% |
| 1967 | 140,015 | +5.6% |
| 1968 | 148,545 | +6.1% |
| 1969 | 157,610 | +6.1% |
| 1970 | 166,325 | +5.5% |
| 1971 | 174,620 | +5.0% |
| 1972 | 182,458 | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 189,788 | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 196,928 | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 203,537 | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 200,836 | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 198,548 | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 215,407 | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 227,725 | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 272,575 | +19.7% |
| 1981 | 304,160 | +11.6% |
| 1982 | 212,299 | -30.2% |
| 1983 | 186,719 | -12.0% |
| 1984 | 259,690 | +39.1% |
| 1985 | 286,643 | +10.4% |
| 1986 | 298,614 | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 310,411 | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 314,219 | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 317,777 | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 329,078 | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 335,359 | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 339,176 | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 346,769 | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 351,769 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 353,617 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 356,244 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 360,455 | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 369,641 | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 380,288 | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 387,487 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 396,857 | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 416,045 | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 434,806 | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 450,145 | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 464,114 | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 475,804 | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 499,494 | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 524,155 | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 539,926 | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 554,085 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 564,249 | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 577,218 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 592,849 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 657,515 | +10.9% |
| 2015 | 703,524 | +7.0% |
| 2016 | 690,747 | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 674,444 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 677,768 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 699,718 | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 704,471 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 705,199 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 717,005 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 739,920 | +3.2% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 739,920 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 167,005, 4.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 739,920 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual population growth 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 | 259,690 |
| 1982 | -30.2% | 304,160 | 212,299 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 82,220 | 65,277 | 97,852 | 9 |
| 1960s | 121,340 | 80,222 | 157,610 | 10 |
| 1970s | 195,617 | 166,325 | 227,725 | 10 |
| 1980s | 276,311 | 186,719 | 317,777 | 10 |
| 1990s | 352,240 | 329,078 | 380,288 | 10 |
| 2000s | 458,883 | 387,487 | 539,926 | 10 |
| 2010s | 639,212 | 554,085 | 703,524 | 10 |
| 2020s | 716,649 | 704,471 | 739,920 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 26 South Africa 833,969 compare
- 27 Cote d'Ivoire 770,649 compare
- 28 Madagascar 758,676 compare
- 30 Uzbekistan 713,358 compare
- 31 Mali 696,489 compare
- 32 Algeria 686,831 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)
- Population growth rate 0.571 (2100)
- Population density 188.01 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 6.42 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual population growth in Cameroon?
- Annual population growth in Cameroon was 739,920 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 739,920 in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,277 in 1951.
- How does Cameroon rank for annual population growth?
- Cameroon ranks 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual population growth 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. 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).