Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon
Cameroon: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 114.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon is 114.4%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon peaked at 117.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 77.7%, in 1996.
Cameroon ranks 26th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 92.3% | — |
| 1972 | 90.4% | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 91.2% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 92.6% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 94.7% | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 95.3% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 93.6% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 94.5% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 94.8% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 96.9% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 98.1% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 101.1% | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 99.7% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 100.8% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 101.6% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 103.4% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 104.1% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 100.6% | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 100.8% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 98.6% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 93.3% | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 86.9% | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 84.8% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 77.7% | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 81.4% | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 83.6% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 86.2% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 88.5% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 104.3% | +17.8% |
| 2002 | 104.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 104.6% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 109.5% | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 107.3% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 105.7% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 107.5% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 107.6% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 109.5% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 111.2% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 110.0% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 114.4% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 115.3% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 117.8% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 117.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 111.2% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 104.3% | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 106.8% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 110.1% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 112.5% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 114.4% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 114.4% | -0.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 114.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 114.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 93.3% | 90.4% | 95.3% | 9 |
| 1980s | 100.1% | 95.0% | 104.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 88.1% | 77.7% | 100.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 104.9% | 88.5% | 109.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 112.0% | 104.3% | 117.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 112.9% | 110.1% | 114.4% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Cameroon was 114.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 117.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.7% in 1996.
- How does Cameroon rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Cameroon ranks 26th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.