School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Cameroon
Cameroon: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 3.21 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.21 years
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
180th
of 214 countries
All-time high
4.39 years
in 2016
All-time low
0.5965 years
in 1971
Years of data
47
1971–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Cameroon, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 3.21 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Cameroon peaked at 4.39 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.5965 years, in 1971.
That places Cameroon 180th out of 214 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.5965 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.6588 years | +10.4% |
| 1973 | 0.7306 years | +10.9% |
| 1974 | 0.7858 years | +7.6% |
| 1975 | 0.8684 years | +10.5% |
| 1976 | 0.9565 years | +10.1% |
| 1977 | 1.06 years | +11.2% |
| 1978 | 1.15 years | +8.6% |
| 1979 | 1.21 years | +5.0% |
| 1980 | 1.26 years | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 1.33 years | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 1.31 years | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 1.41 years | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 1.47 years | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 1.56 years | +6.4% |
| 1986 | 1.57 years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 1.7 years | +8.4% |
| 1988 | 1.77 years | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 1.8 years | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 1.81 years | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.92 years | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 1.98 years | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 1.9 years | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 1.83 years | -3.6% |
| 1997 | 1.72 years | -6.3% |
| 1998 | 1.78 years | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 1.89 years | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 1.99 years | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 2.35 years | +18.0% |
| 2002 | 2.05 years | -12.6% |
| 2003 | 2.17 years | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 1.93 years | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 1.96 years | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 1.71 years | -12.9% |
| 2007 | 2.34 years | +37.0% |
| 2008 | 2.71 years | +15.8% |
| 2009 | 2.99 years | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 3.6 years | +20.4% |
| 2012 | 3.79 years | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 3.92 years | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 4.22 years | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 4.32 years | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 4.39 years | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 3.29 years | -25.1% |
| 2021 | 3.27 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 3.27 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 3.21 years | -2.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 3.21 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.2 years, 76% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 3.21 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.05 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8919 years | 0.5965 years | 1.21 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.52 years | 1.26 years | 1.8 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.85 years | 1.72 years | 1.98 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 2.22 years | 1.71 years | 2.99 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.04 years | 3.6 years | 4.39 years | 6 |
| 2020s | 3.26 years | 3.21 years | 3.29 years | 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 school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Cameroon?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Cameroon was 3.21 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 4.39 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5965 years in 1971.
- How does Cameroon rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Cameroon ranks 180th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. 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, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release