Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Cameroon
Cameroon: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 2.60 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.60 million
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
17th
of 178 countries
All-time high
2.60 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.00 million
in 1971
Years of data
9
1971–2023
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Cameroon, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 2.60 million for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 56.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Cameroon peaked at 2.60 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.00 million, in 1971.
That places Cameroon 17th out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.00 million | — |
| 1972 | 1.03 million | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 1.66 million | +61.2% |
| 2014 | 1.63 million | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.62 million | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.62 million | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 2.47 million | +52.0% |
| 2022 | 2.48 million | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 2.60 million | +4.8% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 2.60 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 429,706, 6.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 2.60 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.13 million, 2.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.02 million | 1.00 million | 1.03 million | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.63 million | 1.62 million | 1.66 million | 4 |
| 2020s | 2.51 million | 2.47 million | 2.60 million | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 14 Senegal 2.78 million compare
- 15 Syrian Arab Republic 2.76 million compare
- 16 Madagascar 2.72 million compare
- 18 Mexico 2.57 million compare
- 19 Côte d'Ivoire 2.54 million compare
- 20 Iraq 2.20 million compare
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 out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Cameroon?
- Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Cameroon was 2.60 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 2.60 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.00 million in 1971.
- How does Cameroon rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
- Cameroon ranks 17th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.2%. 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 Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release