Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Cameroon

Cameroon: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 22.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
22.8%
World rank
104th
of 179 countries
All-time high
22.8%
in 2020
All-time low
4.1%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Cameroon, 1950–2020

5101520251950198520201950: 4.1 %1955: 4.4 %1960: 5.2 %1965: 6.3 %1970: 7.7 %1975: 9.3 %1980: 10.7 %1985: 11.9 %1990: 12.7 %1995: 13.7 %2000: 14.8 %2005: 16.7 %2010: 18.5 %2015: 20.6 %2020: 22.8 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Cameroon is 22.8%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 23.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Cameroon peaked at 22.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 1950.

Cameroon ranks 104th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 4.2% 4.1% 4.4% 2
1960s 5.7% 5.2% 6.3% 2
1970s 8.5% 7.7% 9.3% 2
1980s 11.3% 10.7% 11.9% 2
1990s 13.2% 12.7% 13.7% 2
2000s 15.8% 14.8% 16.7% 2
2010s 19.5% 18.5% 20.6% 2
2020s 22.8% 22.8% 22.8% 1

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 101 Slovenia 23.1% compare
  2. 102 Bolivia 23.1% compare
  3. 103 France 22.8% compare
  4. 105 Egypt 22.7% compare
  5. 106 Ecuador 22.3% compare
  6. 107 Libya 22.1% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Cameroon?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Cameroon was 22.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 22.8% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 1950.
How does Cameroon rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Cameroon ranks 104th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.