Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon
Cameroon: Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median was 26.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon, 1996–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon stood at 26.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon peaked at 28.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 17.0%, in 1996.
That places Cameroon 10th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 17.0% | — |
| 2001 | 21.4% | +25.5% |
| 2007 | 23.9% | +11.8% |
| 2014 | 28.8% | +20.4% |
| 2021 | 26.4% | -8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.0% | 17.0% | 17.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 22.6% | 21.4% | 23.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 28.8% | 28.8% | 1 |
| 2020s | 26.4% | 26.4% | 26.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 7 South Africa 27.4% compare
- 8 Israel 26.7% compare
- 9 Ghana 26.7% compare
- 11 Costa Rica 26.4% compare
- 12 Ecuador 26.3% compare
- 13 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 26.1% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Cameroon
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.32 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,770 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 13.04 (2019)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 13.0% (2019)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Cameroon was 26.4% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 28.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.0% in 1996.
- How does Cameroon rank for relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median?
- Cameroon ranks 10th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 60% of the median.