Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Cameroon

Cameroon: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 31.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
31.0%
World rank
33rd
of 180 countries
All-time high
31.0%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Cameroon, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 18.3 %2000: 20.3 %2005: 22.9 %2010: 25.5 %2015: 28.2 %2020: 31 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Cameroon is 31.0%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 21.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Cameroon peaked at 31.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

Cameroon ranks 33rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 9.1% 0.0% 18.3% 2
2000s 21.6% 20.3% 22.9% 2
2010s 26.9% 25.5% 28.2% 2
2020s 31.0% 31.0% 31.0% 1

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 30 Turkey 31.3% compare
  2. 31 Ecuador 31.2% compare
  3. 32 Iraq 31.0% compare
  4. 34 Brazil 30.8% compare
  5. 35 Lebanon 30.6% compare
  6. 36 Peru 30.6% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Cameroon?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Cameroon was 31.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 31.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Cameroon rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Cameroon ranks 33rd out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.