Access to electricity in Cameroon

Cameroon: Access to electricity was 21.3% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
21.3%
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
175th
of 202 countries
All-time high
23.4%
in 2007
All-time low
5.5%
in 1990
Years of data
27
1990–2016

Access to electricity in Cameroon, 1990–2016

5101520251990200320161990: 5.5 % of rural population1991: 8.7 % of rural population1992: 7.1 % of rural population1993: 7.9 % of rural population1994: 8.6 % of rural population1995: 9.4 % of rural population1996: 10.1 % of rural population1997: 10.8 % of rural population1998: 22 % of rural population1999: 12.1 % of rural population2000: 21 % of rural population2001: 18.5 % of rural population2002: 13.7 % of rural population2003: 14.2 % of rural population2004: 15.5 % of rural population2005: 15.1 % of rural population2006: 14 % of rural population2007: 23.4 % of rural population2008: 16.6 % of rural population2009: 17.1 % of rural population2010: 17.7 % of rural population2011: 18.5 % of rural population2012: 18.8 % of rural population2013: 19.4 % of rural population2014: 22.2 % of rural population2015: 20.7 % of rural population2016: 21.3 % of rural population

Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013. Measured in % of rural population.

Analysis

Cameroon recorded 21.3% for access to electricity in 2016.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 51.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, access to electricity in Cameroon peaked at 23.4% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 1990.

That places Cameroon 175th out of 202 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Access to electricity in Cameroon, year by year

Annual values for Access to electricity (% of rural population) in Cameroon, 1990 to 2016.
Year % of rural population Change
1990 5.5% —
1991 8.7% +58.6%
1992 7.1% -18.7%
1993 7.9% +11.1%
1994 8.6% +9.8%
1995 9.4% +8.7%
1996 10.1% +7.7%
1997 10.8% +6.9%
1998 22.0% +103.9%
1999 12.1% -45.2%
2000 21.0% +74.1%
2001 18.5% -11.8%
2002 13.7% -26.1%
2003 14.2% +3.5%
2004 15.5% +9.5%
2005 15.1% -2.6%
2006 14.0% -7.2%
2007 23.4% +67.1%
2008 16.6% -29.2%
2009 17.1% +3.2%
2010 17.7% +3.3%
2011 18.5% +4.8%
2012 18.8% +1.8%
2013 19.4% +3.2%
2014 22.2% +14.2%
2015 20.7% -7.0%
2016 21.3% +3.0%

Cameroon compared with similar countries

  • Cameroon's 21.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.2%, 42% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Cameroon's 21.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.0%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Access to electricity in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1998 +103.9% 10.8% 22.0%
2000 +74.1% 12.1% 21.0%
2007 +67.1% 14.0% 23.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 10.2% 5.5% 22.0% 10
2000s 16.9% 13.7% 23.4% 10
2010s 19.8% 17.7% 22.2% 7

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 172 Ethiopia 26.5% compare
  2. 173 Congo 22.6% compare
  3. 174 Sudan 22.2% compare
  4. 176 Togo 19.4% compare
  5. 177 Uganda 18.0% compare
  6. 178 Benin 18.0% compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is access to electricity in Cameroon?
Access to electricity in Cameroon was 21.3% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013.
What is the highest access to electricity recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 2007.
What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 1990.
How does Cameroon rank for access to electricity?
Cameroon ranks 175th out of 202 countries with data for 2016.
Is access to electricity rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is up 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013, published as part of Access to electricity (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Access to electricity in Cameroon. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/access-to-electricity-percent-of-rural-population/cameroon/

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About this data

Indicator
Access to electricity (% of rural population)
Unit
% of rural population
Source
World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
203 places, 5,139 data points, 1990–2016
Last refreshed

Access to electricity is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.