Literacy rates among adults in Cameroon
Cameroon: Literacy rates among adults was 72.5% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults 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 rates among adults 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 rates among adults 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.
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
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 114.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 121,453 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.26 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 109.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Cameroon?
- Literacy rates among adults 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 rates among adults recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.2% in 1976.
- How does Cameroon rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Cameroon ranks 67th out of 89 countries with data for 2018.
- Is literacy rates among adults 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 rates among adults. 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.