Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) was 64.2% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
64.2%
World rank
65th
of 88 countries
All-time high
64.2%
in 2018
All-time low
16.9%
in 1976
Years of data
5
1976–2018
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Cameroon, 1976–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2018, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Cameroon stood at 64.2%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Cameroon peaked at 64.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 1976.
Cameroon ranks 65th of 88 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 16.9% | — |
| 2000 | 53.1% | +213.8% |
| 2007 | 59.8% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 63.0% | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 64.2% | +1.9% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 64.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 68.5%, 94% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 64.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.8%, 1.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.9% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 56.5% | 53.1% | 59.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 63.6% | 63.0% | 64.2% | 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, population 25-64 years, female in Cameroon?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Cameroon was 64.2% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 64.2% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 1976.
- How does Cameroon rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- Cameroon ranks 65th out of 88 countries with data for 2018.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release