Demographics of Cameroon

The demographic profile of Cameroon is complex for a country of its population. Cameroon comprises an estimated 250 distinct ethnic groups, which may be formed into five large regional-cultural divisions:

  • western highlanders (Semi-Bantu or grassfielders), including the Bamileke, Bamum (or Bamoun), and many smaller Tikar groups in the Northwest (est. 38% of total population);
  • coastal tropical forest peoples, including the Bassa, Duala (or Douala), and many smaller groups in the Southwest (12%);
  • southern tropical forest peoples, including the Beti-Pahuin, Bulu (a subgroup of Beti-Pahuin), Fang (subgroup of Beti-Pahuin), Maka, Njem, and Baka pygmies (18%);
  • predominantly Islamic peoples of the northern semi-arid regions (the Sahel) and central highlands, including the Fulani (French: Peul or Peuhl; Fula: Fulɓe) (14%); and
  • the "Kirdi", non-Islamic or recently Islamic peoples of the northern desert and central highlands (18%).
A Tikar family in the Northwest Province

113,000[1] Igbo people live in Cameroon. The Cameroon government held two national censuses during the country's first 44 years as an independent country, in 1976 and again in 1987. Results from the second head count were never published. A third census, expected to take years to produce results, began on November 11, 2005, with a three-week interviewing phase. It is one of a series of projects and reforms required by the International Monetary Fund as prerequisites for foreign debt relief. The first results were published in 2010.[2]

Population

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[3][4] the total population was 25,216,267 in 2018, compared to only 4 466 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.6%, 55.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.5% was 65 years or older.[5]

Total population Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%)
1950 4 466 00039.656.93.5
1955 4 901 00040.156.43.5
1960 5 409 00040.655.93.6
1965 6 049 00041.554.93.6
1970 6 842 00042.454.03.6
1975 7 838 00043.652.73.7
1980 9 110 00044.651.83.6
1985 10 519 00045.251.23.6
1990 12 181 00045.251.33.6
1995 13 940 00044.452.13.5
2000 15 678 00042.853.73.5
2005 17 554 00041.654.93.5
2010 19 599 00040.655.93.5

Fertility and births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[6]

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
1991 39 5.82 (5.17) 5.17 (4.52) 6.29 (5.66)
1998 37.4 5.2 (4.6) 31.5 3.9 (3.4) 40.1 5.8 (5.3)
2004 37.8 5.0 (4.5) 34.9 4.0 (3.7) 40.5 6.1 (5.6)
2011 38.1 5.1 (4.5) 34.6 4.0 41.3 6.4
2018 36.8 4.8 (4.3) 32.9 3.8 (3.4) 40.7 6.0 (5.5)

Fertility data as of 2011 (DHS Program):[7]

Region Total fertility rate Percentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnant Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Adamaoua5.28.66.5
Centre (except Yaoundé)5.68.85.5
Douala3.28.14.5
Est5.412.05.6
Extrême-Nord6.814.87.3
Littoral (except Douala)4.68.45.1
Nord6.512.47.1
Nord-Ouest4.46.95.4
Ouest6.010.15.8
Sud4.69.65.2
Sud-Ouest4.07.65.5
Yaoundé3.56.54.4

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Cameroon not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[5]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR*
1950–1955203,000117,00086,00043.424.918.55.68169
1955–1960222,000120,000102,00043.023.319.75.68158
1960–1965252,000124,000128,00044.021.622.35.90145
1965–1970287,000130,000157,00044.620.124.56.10133
1970–1975332,000136,000196,00045.218.326.86.30120
1975–1980382,000143,000239,00045.116.528.66.40108
1980–1985439,000143,000296,00044.715.029.76.4098
1985–1990487,000148,000339,00042.914.128.96.1093
1990–1995536,000172,000364,00041.014.027.05.7094
1995–2000563,000204,000359,00038.014.623.55.1096
2000–2005632,000243,000389,00038.015.322.74.9297
2005–2010691,000270,000421,00037.215.022.24.6794
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1,000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1,000); NC = natural change (per 1,000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1,000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Life expectancy
Period Life expectancy in
Years[8]
1950–1955 38.54
1955–1960 40.45
1960–1965 42.68
1965–1970 44.85
1970–1975 47.42
1975–1980 50.06
1980–1985 52.06
1985–1990 52.79
1990–1995 51.25
1995–2000 49.34
2000–2005 51.45
2005–2010 54.39
2010–2015 56.39

Ethnic groups
Main article: Ethnic groups in Cameroon
Speakers of Makaa–Njem languages in Cameroon and neighbouring countries.
The ethnic groups of Cameroon who speak Duala languages.

Languages
Linguistic survey of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Benin
Main article: Languages of Cameroon

There are 24 major African language groups in Cameroon; additionally, English and French are official languages. Cameroonian Pidgin English is also widely spoken.

Peoples concentrated in the Southwest and Northwest Provinces—around Buea and Bamenda—use standard English and Cameroonian Pidgin English, as well as their local languages. In the three northern provinces—Adamawa, North, and Far North—either French or Fulfulde (the language of the Fulani) is widely spoken. Elsewhere, French is the principal second language, although pidgin and some local languages such as Ewondo, the dialect of a Beti clan from the Yaoundé area, have a wide currency. In Far North Region the northernmost constituent province of Cameroon, Arab Shuwa (an Arab dialect) is spoken by the Baggara Arabs (also called Arab Shuwa).[10]

Indigenous languages of Cameroon include:

Other demographic statistics
Estimated number of inhabitants (in thousands), based on 2005 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[11]

  • One birth every 36 seconds
  • One death every 2 minutes
  • One net migrant every 111 minutes
  • Net gain of one person every 50 seconds

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.[12]

Population
25,640,965 (July 2018 est.)
24,994,885 (2017 est.)
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2018 est.)

Age structure
Population pyramid of Cameroon in 2017
0-14 years: 42.15% (male 5,445,142 /female 5,362,166)
15-24 years: 19.6% (male 2,524,031 /female 2,502,072)
25-54 years: 31.03% (male 4,001,963 /female 3,954,258)
55-64 years: 3.99% (male 499,101 /female 524,288)
65 years and over: 3.23% (male 384,845 /female 443,099) (2018 est.)

Birth rate
35 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 21st
35.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Death rate
9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 49th
9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Total fertility rate
4.58 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 24th

According to Cameroon government website, average children per woman was 5.0 in 2004,[13] 4.7 in 2016.

Net migration rate
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 104th
-0.1 migrants/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth
19.7 years (2011 est.)
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Median age
total: 18.6 years. Country comparison to the world: 208th
male: 18.5 years
female: 18.7 years (2018 est.)
total: 18.5 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.7 years (2017 est.)

Population growth rate
2.54% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 20th
2.56% (2013 est.)

Urbanization
urban population: 56.4% of total population (2018)
rate of urbanization: 3.63% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Urban population: 58% of total population (2010)
Rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2010–15 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 59 years
male: 57.6 years
female: 60.4 years (2017 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate
34.4% (2014)

Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 85.9 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 80 (2015 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.9 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio: 17 (2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS
Adult prevalence rate: 3.7% (2017 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 510,000 (2017 est.)
Deaths: 24,000 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and hepatitis E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Nationality
Noun: Cameroonian(s)
Adjective: Cameroonian

Religion
Main article: Religion in Cameroon
Roman Catholic[9] 38.4%, Protestant[9] 26.3%, other Christian[9] 4.5%, Islam[9] 20.9%, Animist[9] 5.6%, Other[9] 1%, Non-believer[9] 3.2% (2005 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 75% (2015 est.)
Male: 81.2%
Female: 68.9%

Education expenditure
2.8% of GDP (2013)

References
  1. https://www.peoplegroups.org/Explore/groupdetails.aspx?peid=12623
  2. Cameroon - Third General Census of Population and Housing 2005 - IPUMS Subset (download first findings "Rapport de presentation des résultats définitifs" - pdf)
  3. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  4. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  5. "Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision". Esa.un.org. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
  6. "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". microdata.worldbank.org.
  7. "Cameroun : Enquête Démographique et de Santé et à Indicateurs Multiples 2011" (PDF). Dhsprogram.com. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
  8. "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  9. "Africa ::CAMEROON". CIA The World Factbook.
  10. Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005): "Languages of Cameroon". Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Accessed 25 June 2006.
  11. "Cameroon Population 2019", World Population Review
  12. "The World FactBook - Cameroon", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  13. "LA POPULATION DU CAMEROUN EN 2010" (PDF). Statistics-cameroon.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
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