Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 43.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Cameroon, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 43.4% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Cameroon peaked at 69.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 43.4%, in 2023.
Cameroon ranks 34th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 69.0% | — |
| 1992 | 69.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 69.0% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 68.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 68.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 68.4% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 68.1% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 67.7% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 67.2% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 66.6% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 65.9% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 65.0% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 64.0% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 62.9% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 62.0% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 61.0% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 59.8% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 58.2% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 56.6% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 54.9% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 53.1% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 51.3% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 49.5% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 47.6% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 46.9% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 46.2% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 45.6% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 44.9% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 44.3% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 44.2% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 43.8% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 43.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 43.4% | -1.1% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 43.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 43.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.0%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.5% | 67.2% | 69.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 62.2% | 56.6% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.4% | 44.3% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.8% | 43.4% | 44.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More agriculture & rural data for Cameroon
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.9031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1685 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 332.28 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4433 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 14.9% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Cameroon?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Cameroon was 43.4% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 69.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.4% in 2023.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Cameroon ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.