Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon
Cameroon: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 47.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon is 47.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon peaked at 56.5% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 33.8%, in 2015.
Cameroon ranks 14th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 55.9% | — |
| 1972 | 55.3% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 56.5% | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 44.0% | -22.2% |
| 1975 | 52.2% | +18.7% |
| 1976 | 51.6% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 51.5% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 50.4% | -2.1% |
| 1979 | 49.5% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 49.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 36.3% | -26.0% |
| 2014 | 34.8% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 33.8% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 35.1% | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 48.0% | +36.5% |
| 2022 | 46.7% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 47.1% | +0.8% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 47.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.7%, 3.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 47.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.3%, 1.6× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +36.5% | 35.1% | 48.0% |
| 2012 | -26.0% | 49.1% | 36.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 51.9% | 44.0% | 56.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 49.1% | 49.1% | 49.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 35.0% | 33.8% | 36.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 47.3% | 46.7% | 48.0% | 3 |
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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Cameroon was 47.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 56.5% in 1973.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.8% in 2015.
- How does Cameroon rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Cameroon ranks 14th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release