Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon
Cameroon: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 28.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
28.9%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
25th
of 178 countries
All-time high
51.6%
in 1972
All-time low
21.9%
in 2016
Years of data
9
1971–2023
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon stood at 28.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon peaked at 51.6% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 21.9%, in 2016.
Cameroon ranks 25th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 51.6% | — |
| 1972 | 51.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 25.2% | -51.2% |
| 2014 | 23.3% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 21.9% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | +32.5% |
| 2022 | 28.3% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 28.9% | +2.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 28.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 2.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 28.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 1.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 51.6% | 51.6% | 51.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.2% | 21.9% | 25.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 28.7% | 28.3% | 29.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 22 Algeria 30.6% compare
- 23 Madagascar 30.1% compare
- 24 Comoros 29.2% compare
- 26 Guatemala 28.2% compare
- 27 British Virgin Islands 28.0% compare
- 28 San Marino 28.0% 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 rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Cameroon was 28.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 51.6% in 1972.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.9% in 2016.
- How does Cameroon rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Cameroon ranks 25th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). 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