Population and Demographics of Cameroon
A very young population · 41.44% under age 15 in 2024
Annual population movement in Cameroon is +2.65% in 2024, while the working-age share is 55.77% and fertility is 4.3. The 2000-to-2024 series records a 95.3% increase, which is more informative than a single annual rate alone. The medium projection reaches 51.1 million in 2050, placing the mid-century total 75.4% above 2024.
Population Over Time in Cameroon
Between 2000 and 2024, Cameroon's population increased by about 14.21 million, moving from 14.913M to 29.124M. By 2050, the medium path reaches 51.096M, which would make the population substantially larger than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Age composition is an important part of Cameroon's demographic picture in 2024. At 41.44%, the under-15 group is larger than the 2.79% aged 65+, while ages 15 to 64 account for 55.77%. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Cameroon's 2024 population is 50.2% female and 49.8% male in the World Bank series. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.2% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.8% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
The 2024 population series for Cameroon records +2.65% annual change and a fertility rate of 4.3, while the 15-to-64 share is 55.77% and the under-15 share is 41.44%.
The difference between the 2000 and 2024 population points is +95.3% in Cameroon, while the 2050 medium projection is 75.4% above 2024; this profile does not infer unobserved migration or natural-change components.
2024 estimate for Cameroon. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Cameroon vs. World
In 2024, Cameroon's annual population change, fertility and median age do not all sit on the same side of the world benchmarks: they are respectively higher than, above and younger than the global benchmarks.
| Indicator | Cameroon | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +2.65% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.3 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 18 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The table is built for like-for-like comparison, using 2024 values from a single harmonized source context linked to UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Key Takeaways
Cameroon has 29,123,744 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +2.65% over the year.
The 2024 age structure is 41.44% under 15, 55.77% aged 15 to 64 and 2.79% aged 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 50.2% female and 49.8% male.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 51.096M, a +75.4% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Cameroon?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Cameroon is 29,123,744 people.
Is the population of Cameroon growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Cameroon's population is growing, with annual change of +2.65%.
What percentage of the population of Cameroon is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 2.79% of Cameroon's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Cameroon in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Cameroon's 2050 population at 51,096,317.
What is the fertility rate in Cameroon?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Cameroon is 4.3 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.