School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Cameroon
Cameroon: School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) was 7.19 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
7.19 years
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
26th
of 215 countries
All-time high
7.61 years
in 2016
All-time low
5.03 years
in 1996
Years of data
51
1971–2024
School life expectancy, primary, male in Cameroon, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, male in Cameroon stood at 7.19 years.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, male in Cameroon peaked at 7.61 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.03 years, in 1996.
That places Cameroon 26th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.64 years | — |
| 1972 | 6.42 years | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 6.37 years | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 6.67 years | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 6.6 years | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 6.6 years | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 6.47 years | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 6.51 years | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 6.51 years | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 6.5 years | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 6.33 years | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 6.39 years | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 6.59 years | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 6.49 years | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 6.57 years | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 6.62 years | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 6.71 years | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 7.04 years | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 6.52 years | -7.3% |
| 1990 | 6.8 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 6.63 years | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 5.84 years | -11.9% |
| 1994 | 5.5 years | -5.8% |
| 1995 | 5.37 years | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 5.03 years | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 5.24 years | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 5.49 years | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 5.69 years | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 5.75 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 6.72 years | +16.9% |
| 2002 | 6.75 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 6.8 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 7.1 years | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 7.03 years | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 6.93 years | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 6.96 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 7.05 years | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 7.15 years | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 7.24 years | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 7.2 years | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 7.47 years | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 7.4 years | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 7.53 years | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 7.61 years | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 7.18 years | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 6.65 years | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 6.8 years | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 6.99 years | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 7.1 years | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 7.2 years | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 7.19 years | -0.1% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 7.19 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.1 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 7.19 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.26 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.53 years | 6.37 years | 6.67 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.58 years | 6.33 years | 7.04 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.73 years | 5.03 years | 6.8 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.82 years | 5.75 years | 7.15 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.23 years | 6.65 years | 7.61 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 7.12 years | 6.99 years | 7.2 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 23 Guinea-Bissau 7.34 years compare
- 24 South Africa 7.3 years compare
- 25 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.25 years compare
- 27 East Timor 7.18 years compare
- 28 American Samoa 7.1 years compare
- 29 Vanuatu 7.1 years 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 school life expectancy, primary, male in Cameroon?
- School life expectancy, primary, male in Cameroon was 7.19 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 7.61 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.03 years in 1996.
- How does Cameroon rank for school life expectancy, primary, male?
- Cameroon ranks 26th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, male rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. 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 School life expectancy, primary, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release