Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Cameroon
Cameroon: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 497,479 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Cameroon, 2008–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 497,479 for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.8% on the previous year and up 44.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Cameroon peaked at 604,903 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 328,012, in 2008.
Cameroon ranks 16th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 328,012 | — |
| 2009 | 331,934 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 365,792 | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 355,452 | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 344,898 | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 335,282 | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 351,122 | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 388,118 | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 409,448 | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 464,463 | +13.4% |
| 2022 | 483,821 | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 604,903 | +25.0% |
| 2024 | 497,479 | -17.8% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 497,479 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86,572, 5.7× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 497,479 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 97,400, 5.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 329,973 | 328,012 | 331,934 | 2 |
| 2010s | 364,302 | 335,282 | 409,448 | 7 |
| 2020s | 512,666 | 464,463 | 604,903 | 4 |
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 out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Cameroon?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Cameroon was 497,479 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 604,903 in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 328,012 in 2008.
- How does Cameroon rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Cameroon ranks 16th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.2%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release