Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines was 26.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Cameroon, 1996–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 26.7% for share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Cameroon peaked at 56.5% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 26.7%, in 2021.
That places Cameroon 19th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.5% | 56.5% | 56.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 33.4% | 30.8% | 36.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% | 1 |
| 2020s | 26.7% | 26.7% | 26.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More poverty & inequality data for Cameroon
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 13.0% (2019)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.558 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 14.3% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.2072 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.5286 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Cameroon?
- Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in Cameroon was 26.7% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share in poverty relative to different poverty lines recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 56.5% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share in poverty relative to different poverty lines recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.7% in 2021.
- How does Cameroon rank for share in poverty relative to different poverty lines?
- Cameroon ranks 19th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share in poverty relative to different poverty lines rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.