Fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon

Cameroon: Fertility vs unmet contraception was 4.26 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.26
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
17th
of 215 countries
All-time high
6.61
in 1980
All-time low
4.26
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon, 1960–2024

0246196019922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon stood at 4.26. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon peaked at 6.61 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 4.26, in 2024.

That places Cameroon 17th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon, year by year

Annual values for Fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon, 1960 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1960 5.72 —
1961 5.73 +0.1%
1962 5.73 -0.1%
1963 5.73 +0.0%
1964 5.74 +0.1%
1965 5.8 +1.0%
1966 5.85 +1.0%
1967 5.95 +1.7%
1968 6.04 +1.5%
1969 6.14 +1.7%
1970 6.2 +0.9%
1971 6.26 +1.0%
1972 6.29 +0.5%
1973 6.33 +0.5%
1974 6.36 +0.6%
1975 6.4 +0.6%
1976 6.45 +0.7%
1977 6.51 +0.9%
1978 6.54 +0.6%
1979 6.58 +0.6%
1980 6.61 +0.5%
1981 6.61 -0.0%
1982 6.59 -0.2%
1983 6.58 -0.3%
1984 6.56 -0.2%
1985 6.56 +0.0%
1986 6.57 +0.1%
1987 6.54 -0.5%
1988 6.48 -0.9%
1989 6.41 -1.0%
1990 6.36 -0.8%
1991 6.32 -0.6%
1992 6.26 -1.1%
1993 6.16 -1.6%
1994 6.04 -1.8%
1995 5.92 -2.1%
1996 5.79 -2.1%
1997 5.71 -1.5%
1998 5.66 -0.9%
1999 5.6 -0.9%
2000 5.51 -1.6%
2001 5.44 -1.3%
2002 5.43 -0.1%
2003 5.43 -0.1%
2004 5.44 +0.1%
2005 5.42 -0.3%
2006 5.37 -1.0%
2007 5.34 -0.5%
2008 5.29 -0.9%
2009 5.24 -1.1%
2010 5.15 -1.6%
2011 5.05 -2.0%
2012 4.98 -1.4%
2013 4.91 -1.5%
2014 4.84 -1.2%
2015 4.84 -0.1%
2016 4.84 +0.0%
2017 4.8 -0.8%
2018 4.74 -1.3%
2019 4.65 -1.9%
2020 4.56 -2.0%
2021 4.47 -2.0%
2022 4.4 -1.6%
2023 4.32 -1.7%
2024 4.26 -1.4%

Cameroon compared with similar countries

  • Cameroon's 4.26 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.12, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Cameroon's 4.26 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.91, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 5.84 5.72 6.14 10
1970s 6.39 6.2 6.58 10
1980s 6.55 6.41 6.61 10
1990s 5.98 5.6 6.36 10
2000s 5.39 5.24 5.51 10
2010s 4.88 4.65 5.15 10
2020s 4.4 4.26 4.56 5

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 14 Benin 4.48 compare
  2. 15 Nigeria 4.38 compare
  3. 16 Sudan 4.26 compare
  4. 18 Cote d'Ivoire 4.23 compare
  5. 19 Uganda 4.17 compare
  6. 20 Guinea 4.13 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon?
Fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon was 4.26 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility vs unmet contraception recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 6.61 in 1980.
What is the lowest fertility vs unmet contraception recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 4.26 in 2024.
How does Cameroon rank for fertility vs unmet contraception?
Cameroon ranks 17th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility vs unmet contraception rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs unmet contraception. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fertility vs unmet contraception in Cameroon. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-vs-unmet-contraception/cameroon/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility vs unmet contraception
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed