Rural population in Cameroon
Cameroon: Rural population was 44.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Cameroon, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Cameroon stood at 44.3%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Cameroon peaked at 86.4% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 44.3%, in 2025.
That places Cameroon 76th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 86.4% | — |
| 1961 | 86.1% | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 85.6% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 85.1% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 84.5% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 83.8% | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 83.1% | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 82.3% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 81.4% | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 80.6% | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 79.7% | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 78.6% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 77.3% | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 75.8% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 74.2% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 72.8% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 71.6% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 70.6% | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 69.6% | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 68.6% | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 67.7% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 66.8% | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 65.9% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 65.1% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 64.3% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 63.5% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 62.7% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 62.0% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 61.3% | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 60.6% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 59.9% | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 59.2% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 58.6% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 57.9% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 57.3% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 56.6% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 56.0% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 55.4% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 54.9% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 54.3% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 53.8% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 53.2% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 52.7% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 52.3% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 51.8% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 51.4% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 50.8% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 50.3% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 49.9% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 49.5% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 49.1% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 48.8% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 48.4% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 48.1% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 47.7% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 47.4% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 47.0% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 46.7% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 46.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 46.1% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 45.7% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 45.4% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 45.2% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 44.9% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 44.6% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 44.3% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.9% | 80.6% | 86.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 73.9% | 68.6% | 79.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.0% | 60.6% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.0% | 54.3% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.6% | 49.5% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.6% | 46.1% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.0% | 44.3% | 45.7% | 6 |
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)
- Agriculture share gdp 16.85 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 16.85 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 14.9% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Cameroon?
- Rural population in Cameroon was 44.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 86.4% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.3% in 2025.
- How does Cameroon rank for rural population?
- Cameroon ranks 76th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.