Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Population density (people per sq. km of land area) was 60.02 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
60.02 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
144th
of 216 countries
All-time high
60.02 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
53.96 people per sq. km of land area
in 2019
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Cameroon, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 60.02 people per sq. km of land area for population density in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 11.2% over five years.
Over the whole period, population density in Cameroon peaked at 60.02 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 53.96 people per sq. km of land area, in 2019.
That places Cameroon 144th out of 216 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 11.08 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 11.29 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 11.54 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 11.8 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 12.07 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 12.35 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 12.64 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 12.96 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 13.29 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 13.64 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 14.01 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 14.4 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 14.8 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 15.22 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 15.65 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 16.07 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 16.49 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 16.95 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 17.43 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 18.01 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 18.65 people per sq. km of land area | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 19.1 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 19.49 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 20.04 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 20.65 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 21.28 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 21.94 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 22.6 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 23.28 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 23.97 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 24.68 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 25.4 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 26.13 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 26.88 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 27.62 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 28.38 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 29.14 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 29.92 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 30.73 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 31.55 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 32.39 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 33.27 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 34.19 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 35.14 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 36.12 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 37.13 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 38.18 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 39.29 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 40.43 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 41.61 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 42.8 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 44.02 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 45.28 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 46.67 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 48.16 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 49.62 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 51.04 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 52.48 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 53.96 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 55.45 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 56.94 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 58.46 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 60.02 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 60.02 people per sq. km of land area is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 80.91 people per sq. km of land area, 74% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 60.02 people per sq. km of land area is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 68.7 people per sq. km of land area, 87% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.11 people per sq. km of land area | 11.08 people per sq. km of land area | 13.29 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 15.47 people per sq. km of land area | 13.64 people per sq. km of land area | 17.43 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.5 people per sq. km of land area | 18.01 people per sq. km of land area | 23.28 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.29 people per sq. km of land area | 23.97 people per sq. km of land area | 30.73 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.77 people per sq. km of land area | 31.55 people per sq. km of land area | 40.43 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.56 people per sq. km of land area | 41.61 people per sq. km of land area | 53.96 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.72 people per sq. km of land area | 55.45 people per sq. km of land area | 60.02 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 141 Afghanistan 63.56 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 142 Bosnia and Herzegovina 62.21 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 143 Panama 60.11 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 145 Bulgaria 59.38 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 146 Guinea 58.63 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 147 Liberia 57.03 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Cameroon
- Population in the largest city 29.2% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 55.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.3079 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 9.20 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 3.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 18.13 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 4.85 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.2 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 73.21 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Cameroon?
- Population density in Cameroon was 60.02 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 60.02 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.96 people per sq. km of land area in 2019.
- How does Cameroon rank for population density?
- Cameroon ranks 144th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.