Browse a full set of economic indicators

Cameroon

Includes Cameroon real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Cameroon economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Cameroon best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Yaounde

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Bank of Central African States
Currency Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF)
International Reserves USD 3.5 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 38.5 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 95.3 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007: 4.9%
2008: 3.5%
2009: 2.2%
2010: 3.4%
2011: 4.1%
2012: 4.5%
2013: 5.4%
2014: 5.9%
2015: 5.7%
2016: 4.6%
2017*: 3.5%
2018*: 4%
*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 1,548.0 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 3,828.2 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980: 0.08%
1990: 0.08%
2000: 0.06%
2010: 0.06%
2019*: 0.07%
*Estimate
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 14.3%
industry: 25.7%
services: 51.8%
(2018 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015: 2.7%
2016: 0.9%
2017: 0.6%
2018*: 1.1%
2019*: 2.1%
*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015: 2.7%
2016: 0.9%
2017: 0.6%
2018*: 1.1%
2019*: 2.1%
*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: B

Moody’s: B2

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015: 32%
2016: 32.8%
2017: 37.6%
2018*: 39.1%
2019*: 40.5%
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015: -4.4%
2016: -6.1%
2017*: -4.9%
2018*: -2.5%
2019*: -2.3%
*Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 16.6% (2018)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.02% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.03% (2017)
Total exports USD 6.5 billion (2017)
Export commodities Crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
Total imports USD 7.3 billion (2017 estimate)
Import commodities Machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food

Exports – major partners Netherlands 15.6%, France 12.6%, China 11.7%, Belgium 6.8%, Italy 6.3%, Algeria 4.8%, Malaysia 4.4% (2017)
Imports – major partners China 19%, France 10.3%, Thailand 7.9%, Nigeria 4.1% (2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -1.4 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-3.7 % (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016: USD 664 million
2017: USD 814 million
2018: USD 702 million
FDI Outflows 2016: USD -38.9 million
2017: USD 21.9 million
2018: USD -9.3 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser N/A


United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

167 out of 190 countries

Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 104 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 154 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 133 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 175 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 80 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 157 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 181 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 186 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 167 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 129 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking
123 out of 141 countries

(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 145 / Score: 52.4 (Mostly unfree)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Time Zone UTC+1

Total Area 475,440 sq km
Total Population 1990: 11.69 million
2000: 15.54 million
2010: 20.42 million
2015*: 23.11 million
2020*: 26.14 million
*Estimate
Urban population as % of total population 1960: 13.9%
1980: 31.9%
2000: 45.5%
2018: 56.4%
Population median age 18.6 years
Population growth rate 2.54% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 59.4 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 44.7% (last available estimate, 2014)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 46.6 (last available estimate, 2014)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating Not Free
Political Rights: 6
Civil Liberties: 6 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 2.4%

Mobile: 69.1%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 23.2 % (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Literacy Total population: 75%
Male: 81.2%
Female: 68.9%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic 38.4%, Protestant 26.3%, other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 20.9%, animist 5.6%, other 1%, non-believer 3.2% (2005 est.)

World Rankings

Population 26.14 M
Mercer Cost of living index Yaounde: 52nd
Douala: 66th

(2019)
C02 Emissions per capita 0.31 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Cameroon

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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