Literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon
Cameroon: Literacy rate, adult male was 79.7% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon, 1976–2018
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2018, literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon stood at 79.7%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon peaked at 79.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 54.6%, in 1976.
Cameroon ranks 70th of 88 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 54.6% | — |
| 2000 | 79.2% | +45.0% |
| 2007 | 79.0% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 78.1% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 79.7% | +2.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 79.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 83.7%, 95% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 79.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 79.2%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 54.6% | 54.6% | 54.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 79.1% | 79.0% | 79.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 78.9% | 78.1% | 79.7% | 2 |
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 literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Cameroon was 79.7% in 2018, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 79.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.6% in 1976.
- How does Cameroon rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Cameroon ranks 70th out of 88 countries with data for 2018.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.