Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 96.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cameroon, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 96.2% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cameroon peaked at 96.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Cameroon ranks 103rd of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.6% | 0.7% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.5% | 0.9% | 2.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 7.9% | 4.8% | 11.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 21.4% | 17.1% | 25.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 37.9% | 30.6% | 45.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 54.1% | 44.3% | 64.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 65.2% | 60.3% | 68.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.7% | 68.5% | 74.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 73.8% | 73.0% | 74.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 87.3% | 90.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 94.0% | 91.5% | 95.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 96.0% | 95.6% | 96.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More education data for Cameroon
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 114.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 121,453 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.26 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 109.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cameroon?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cameroon was 96.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 96.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Cameroon ranks 103rd out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.