Share of population living in urban areas in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of population living in urban areas was 74.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Cameroon, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 74.2% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Cameroon peaked at 74.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 59.0%, in 1950.
Cameroon ranks 116th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 59.0% | — |
| 1955 | 59.7% | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 60.8% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 62.0% | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 63.8% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 66.0% | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 66.6% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 66.9% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 67.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 69.6% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 71.3% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 72.4% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 73.3% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 74.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 74.2% | +0.3% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 74.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.3%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 74.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.4%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 59.3% | 59.0% | 59.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 61.4% | 60.8% | 62.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 64.9% | 63.8% | 66.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 66.7% | 66.6% | 66.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 68.7% | 67.8% | 69.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 71.8% | 71.3% | 72.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 73.6% | 73.3% | 74.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 74.2% | 74.2% | 74.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More reference data data for Cameroon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4076 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Cameroon?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Cameroon was 74.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 74.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.0% in 1950.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Cameroon ranks 116th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.