Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 4.74 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.74 million
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
49th
of 197 countries
All-time high
4.74 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.42 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Cameroon, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Cameroon stood at 4.74 million. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Cameroon peaked at 4.74 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.42 million, in 1998.
That places Cameroon 49th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.42 million | — |
| 1999 | 2.48 million | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 2.53 million | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 2.58 million | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 2.63 million | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 2.67 million | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 2.72 million | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 2.77 million | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.84 million | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 2.90 million | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 2.98 million | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 3.06 million | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 3.16 million | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 3.26 million | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 3.37 million | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 3.48 million | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 3.59 million | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 3.71 million | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 3.82 million | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 3.93 million | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 4.03 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 4.12 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 4.21 million | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 4.30 million | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 4.40 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 4.51 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 4.62 million | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 4.74 million | +2.5% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 4.74 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million, 1.8× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 4.74 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.42 million, 2.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.45 million | 2.42 million | 2.48 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.77 million | 2.53 million | 3.06 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.65 million | 3.16 million | 4.12 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.46 million | 4.21 million | 4.74 million | 6 |
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 population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Cameroon?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Cameroon was 4.74 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 4.74 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.42 million in 1998.
- How does Cameroon rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Cameroon ranks 49th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release