Human Development & Quality of Life in Cameroon
HDI 0.588 · UNDP rank 155 · latest published data
In UNDP's 2023 index data, Cameroon has HDI 0.588 and rank 155, which corresponds to medium human development. More revealing for this profile. The GII reading of 0.558 (rank 148) is an important counterpoint to the aggregate HDI. At the same time, the planetary-pressure adjustment is limited at 2.4%, leaving PHDI at 0.574.
What sits inside Cameroon's HDI
Cameroon's HDI can be read through four underlying inputs for 2023: 63.7 life expectancy, 10.8 expected schooling, 6.6 mean schooling and GNI per capita of $4,746 in 2021 PPP dollars. The components are inputs to HDI, not independent country league tables. When the indicator is reused, avoid turning the indicator into a general country score so the page stays faithful to the published evidence.
Inequality changes the headline
For the evidence shown here, IHDI is the HDI after allowing for unequal distribution of achievement, for Cameroon, it remains an objective development measure rather than a subjective well-being indicator. When looking across the UNDP tables, do not infer an unstated comparison because the evidence is strongest when each metric keeps its own scope.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
Beyond HDI, Cameroon's UNDP profile also reports GDI 0.898, GII 0.558, PHDI 0.574. These measures answer different questions, so they are kept separate.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
For Cameroon, the page has no verified OECD life-satisfaction observation to report. Missing source coverage is shown as a limitation, not filled with an estimate. For the profile as a whole, treat the value as the published measure because a composite score cannot explain every outcome on its own.
What Cameroon's numbers say together
For a fuller view of Cameroon, the page shows IHDI 0.361 with a 38.6% loss; PHDI 0.574 after a 2.4% adjustment; GDI 0.898. Reading them together is useful, but combining them would obscure their different definitions.
For 2023, Cameroon records HDI 0.588 and rank 155 in the UNDP table. The result should be read as a composite of health, schooling and income outcomes.
The IHDI is 0.361, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 38.6% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.898 in group 5; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.574, with a 2.4% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cameroon's HDI?
The UNDP table records Cameroon at 0.588 on HDI in 2023, with global rank 155.
How does inequality affect Cameroon's HDI?
The UNDP inequality adjustment gives Cameroon an IHDI of 0.361, with an overall loss of 38.6% from the unadjusted HDI.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
This profile does not fill the quality-of-life section for Cameroon simply to complete the layout. The profile does not turn an absent source observation into a calculated replacement.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI is built from health, schooling and income indicators. The page treats life satisfaction as a separate experience-based measure, not part of the UNDP index.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.