Share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. GDP per capita in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. GDP per capita was 3.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. GDP per capita in Cameroon, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 3.8% for share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita in Cameroon peaked at 39.7% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2023.
Cameroon ranks 105th of 203 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.
Share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. GDP per capita in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 35.8% | — |
| 1972 | 36.3% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 37.7% | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 39.7% | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 33.1% | -16.6% |
| 1976 | 32.1% | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 33.5% | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 32.4% | -3.5% |
| 1979 | 31.6% | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 31.5% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 25.1% | -20.5% |
| 1990 | 25.4% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 27.0% | +6.4% |
| 2008 | 12.7% | -53.2% |
| 2009 | 9.9% | -21.5% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | -13.9% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | -32.0% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | -11.0% |
| 2015 | 4.8% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | -9.3% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | +33.2% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | +29.2% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | -40.8% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -10.9% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | -5.7% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34.7% | 31.6% | 39.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 28.3% | 25.1% | 31.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.2% | 25.4% | 27.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.3% | 9.9% | 12.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 4.3% | 8.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.7% | 4.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More education data for Cameroon
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.06 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 644,367 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.64 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 447,513 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 7.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 74,549 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 46,904 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 219,663 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 16.33 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita in Cameroon?
- Share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita in Cameroon was 3.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 1974.
- What is the lowest share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2023.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita?
- Cameroon ranks 105th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. 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) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary-school-age children who are out of school vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) not enrolled in any level of education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.