Birth rate in Cameroon
Cameroon: Birth rate was 33.74 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
33.74 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
17th
of 236 countries
All-time high
46.13 births per 1,000 people
in 1982
All-time low
33.74 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Cameroon, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in Cameroon is 33.74 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Cameroon peaked at 46.13 births per 1,000 people in 1982 and was at its lowest, 33.74 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Cameroon ranks 17th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 44.09 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 44.09 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 44.2 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 44.2 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1954 | 44.17 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1955 | 44.14 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 44 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1957 | 43.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 43.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 43.83 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 43.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1961 | 43.95 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 43.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 43.66 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 43.43 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 43.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 43.69 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 44.05 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 44.38 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 44.77 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 44.88 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 45.08 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 45.05 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 45.1 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 45.11 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 45.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 45.29 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 45.49 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 45.45 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 45.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 45.35 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 45.7 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 46.13 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 45.11 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 44.71 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 44.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 44.79 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 44.59 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 44.26 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 43.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 43.64 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 43.47 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 43.08 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 42.66 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 42.25 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 41.73 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 41.2 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 40.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 40.99 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 41.1 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 40.88 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 40.67 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 40.8 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 41.07 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 41.27 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 41.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 41.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 40.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 40.66 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 40.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 39.84 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 39.22 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 38.65 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 38.08 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 37.55 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 37.72 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 37.77 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 37.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 36.9 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 36.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 35.44 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 34.78 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 34.27 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 33.74 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 33.74 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 33.74 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.05 births per 1,000 people | 43.83 births per 1,000 people | 44.2 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 43.91 births per 1,000 people | 43.43 births per 1,000 people | 44.77 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.21 births per 1,000 people | 44.88 births per 1,000 people | 45.56 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.91 births per 1,000 people | 43.85 births per 1,000 people | 46.13 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.11 births per 1,000 people | 40.94 births per 1,000 people | 43.64 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.91 births per 1,000 people | 40.36 births per 1,000 people | 41.32 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.94 births per 1,000 people | 36.18 births per 1,000 people | 39.84 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.56 births per 1,000 people | 33.74 births per 1,000 people | 35.44 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
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 birth rate in Cameroon?
- Birth rate in Cameroon was 33.74 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 46.13 births per 1,000 people in 1982.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.74 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Cameroon rank for birth rate?
- Cameroon ranks 17th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.