Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Cameroon
Cameroon: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Cameroon, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 2.8% for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 6.8% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Cameroon peaked at 3.5% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2000.
That places Cameroon 158th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.1% | — |
| 1972 | 3.4% | +9.2% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | -11.3% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | +17.1% |
| 1984 | 3.2% | -7.2% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | -12.3% |
| 1987 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | -7.4% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | +24.1% |
| 1991 | 3.2% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -38.1% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +34.9% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | +22.9% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | +13.3% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -13.2% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +16.4% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +19.4% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -8.2% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | +6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.6% | 3.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 1.7% | 2.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More education data for Cameroon
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,092 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 611,326 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 321,494 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,873 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.01 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1816 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Cameroon?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Cameroon was 2.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1983.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2000.
- How does Cameroon rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Cameroon ranks 158th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. 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 Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release