Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Cameroon
Cameroon: Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita was 72.5% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Cameroon, 1976–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 72.5% for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in 2018. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Cameroon peaked at 72.5% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 41.2%, in 1976.
Cameroon ranks 67th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 41.2% | — |
| 2000 | 68.4% | +66.0% |
| 2007 | 70.7% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 71.2% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 72.5% | +1.9% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 72.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.2%, 93% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 72.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.9%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.2% | 41.2% | 41.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 69.5% | 68.4% | 70.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 71.9% | 71.2% | 72.5% | 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 vs. gdp per capita in Cameroon?
- Literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Cameroon was 72.5% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.2% in 1976.
- How does Cameroon rank for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita?
- Cameroon ranks 67th out of 89 countries with data for 2018.
- Is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.