Rural population in Cameroon
Cameroon: Rural population was 40.1% in 2024. βΌ Falling
Rural population in Cameroon, 1970β2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2024, rural population in Cameroon stood at 40.1%. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Cameroon peaked at 79.7% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 2024.
Cameroon ranks 97th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 73.8% | 68.9% | 79.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.3% | 60.9% | 68.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.7% | 55.1% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.8% | 49.0% | 54.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.7% | 43.0% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.3% | 40.1% | 42.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More population data for Cameroon
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.571 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 6.42 million (2100)
- Population density 188.01 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.571 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1831 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.39 Percent per annum (2030)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 51,280 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 2.39 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 4.26 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 427,706 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Cameroon?
- Rural population in Cameroon was 40.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 79.7% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 2024.
- How does Cameroon rank for rural population?
- Cameroon ranks 97th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release