Total natural resource rents in Cameroon

Cameroon: Total natural resource rents was 5.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
5.5%
Change on year
up 27.3%
World rank
71st
of 211 countries
All-time high
12.0%
in 1985
All-time low
3.4%
in 1972
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in Cameroon, 1970–2021

4681012197019952021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Cameroon recorded 5.5% for total natural resource rents in 2021.

The figure is up 27.3% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Cameroon peaked at 12.0% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1972.

Cameroon ranks 71st of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.7% 3.4% 8.7% 10
1980s 8.5% 4.4% 12.0% 10
1990s 7.9% 5.2% 11.9% 10
2000s 7.0% 4.7% 10.1% 10
2010s 6.7% 5.4% 8.4% 10
2020s 4.9% 4.3% 5.5% 2

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 68 Syria 6.4% compare
  2. 69 Ethiopia 5.9% compare
  3. 70 Madagascar 5.5% compare
  4. 72 Laos 5.4% compare
  5. 73 Colombia 5.3% compare
  6. 74 Indonesia 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resource rents in Cameroon?
Total natural resource rents in Cameroon was 5.5% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 1985.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1972.
How does Cameroon rank for total natural resource rents?
Cameroon ranks 71st out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.