Polity · 1960 CE – present
Republic of Cameroon
République du Cameroun · Cameroon · Cameroun
Also recorded as Cameroon
- Peak recorded area
- 464,748 km²
- 1961 CE
- Rulers on record
- 17
- from 1960 CE
- Data series
- 405
- 1960 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
4 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. Cliopatria holds 3 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 57 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population216 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 29.9Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 64.25years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -15.4Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2.54% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 66.52years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 62.05years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 168 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP200 obs · 1820 CE–2019 CE | 3,175int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 58.9Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita73 obs · 1950 CE–2022 CE | 2,812.212011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Fao Asses Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 40.1Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 5.9Mhead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cereals Area Harvested64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 2.2Mha2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 39 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP110 obs · 1970 CE–2024 CE | 1.01% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| CINC Score57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0.0014CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 13.2Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 393Mcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 14Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 57 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 13.12% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Oil Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 58.75TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 42.67% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 20.94%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.2185hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 9.9Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 29 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 0.286index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 0.14index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 0.111index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 1RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 0.095index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity253 obs · 1960 CE–2012 CE | -4index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 55 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Tech Railway Line Km87 obs · 1905 CE–1998 CE | 1,186km1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Freight Tkm73 obs · 1900 CE–1993 CE | 653tonne-km1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Freedom Of Expression Index64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 0.596index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Railway Passenger Km56 obs · 1911 CE–1987 CE | 468passenger-km1987 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Electricity Production54 obs · 1948 CE–2001 CE | 3.5BGWh2001 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10052 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 96.48per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
17 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Ahmadou AhidjoHead of State1960 CE – 1982 CE
- Ahmadou AhidjoPrime Minister of Cameroon1960 CE
- Charles AssaléPrime Minister of Cameroon1960 CE – 1965 CE
- John Ngu FonchaVice President of Cameroon1961 CE – 1970 CE
- Vincent de Paul AhandaPrime Minister of Cameroon1965 CE
- Salomon Tandeng MunaPrime Minister of Cameroon1968 CE – 1972 CE
- Salomon Tandeng MunaVice President of Cameroon1970 CE – 1972 CE
- Paul BiyaPrime Minister of Cameroon1975 CE – 1982 CE
- Bello Bouba MaigariPrime Minister of Cameroon1982 CE – 1983 CE
- Paul BiyaHead of State1982 CE –
- Luc AyangPrime Minister of Cameroon1983 CE – 1984 CE
- Sadou HayatouPrime Minister of Cameroon1991 CE – 1992 CE
- Simon AchidiPrime Minister of Cameroon1992 CE – 1996 CE
- Mafany Musonge PeterPrime Minister of Cameroon1996 CE – 2004 CE
- Ephraïm InoniPrime Minister of Cameroon2004 CE – 2009 CE
- Philémon YangHead of Government2009 CE – 2019 CE
- Joseph NguteHead of Government2019 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
- Government type
- presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982); head of government: Prime Minister Joseph NGUTE (since 4 January 2019); cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president; election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits);
- Ethnic groups
- Bamileke-Bamu 22.2%, Biu-Mandara 16.4%, Arab-Choa/Hausa/Kanuri 13.5%, Beti/Bassa, Mbam 13.1%, Grassfields 9.9%, Adamawa-Ubangi, 9.8%, Cotier/Ngoe/Oroko 4.6%, Southwestern Bantu 4.3%, Kako/Meka 2.3%, foreign/other ethnic group 3.8% (2022 est.)
- Natural resources
- petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
- Economy
- largest CEMAC economy with many natural resources; recent political instability and terrorism reducing economic output; systemic corruption; poor property rights enforcement; increasing poverty in northern regions
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- 24 major African language groups, English, French
- Currency
- Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1960 CE –
- 14-member Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1961 CE – 1964 CE
- 11-member Defense Pact (2000)Military alliance · member2000 CE –
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member2002 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of Cameroon is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.