Cameroon Population

Cameroon is one of the most culturally, geographically and linguistically diverse countries on the African continent, and is therefore often called an Africa in miniature.

Key figures and facts

• Capital: Yaounde
• Ethnic groups: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwest Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigerians 7%, Other Africans 13%, Non-Africans 1%
• Language: 24 major African languages, French and English
• Religion: Catholics 38.4%, Protestants 26.3%, other Christians 4.5%, Muslims 20.9%, animists 5.6%, other 1%, none 3.2% (2015)
• Population: 24,678,234 (2018)
• Control Form: Republic
• Area: 475 440 km2
• Currency: CFA franc at 100 centimes
• GNP per capita: 3 609 PPP $
• National Day: May 20th

Cameroon’s Population

Cameroon’s total population is 24,678,000 residents (2018) over a land area of ​​472,710 square kilometers, giving a population density of 51.91 residents per square kilometer. The areas farthest to the southeast and the Adamaoua Plateau are thinnest. The highest populated areas are roughly the major cities in a triangle between Douala in the southwest, Yaoundé in the southeast, to Bamenda in the north. There is also a relatively high population density in the Extreme North region, where again there are several cities with many residents in a relatively small region.

The influx of cities has been large, from about 10 percent of the population living in cities in 1950, to 50 percent in 2001, and to an estimated 58 percent in 2010.

The largest cities are Douala, the country’s economic center, and the capital Yaoundé.

Population of Cameroon by Year (Historical)

Year	Population	Annual Growth Rate	Population Density	Global Rank
2020	26,545,752	2.590%	56.1568	52
2019	25,876,269	2.620%	54.7405	52
2018	25,216,156	2.650%	53.3441	53
2017	24,565,962	2.670%	51.9686	54
2016	23,926,440	2.700%	50.6157	54
2015	23,298,257	2.750%	49.2868	55
2010	20,341,130	2.780%	43.0311	58
2005	17,733,299	2.710%	37.5144	59
2000	15,513,834	2.670%	32.8192	60
1995	13,599,877	2.910%	28.7703	61
1990	11,779,977	3.190%	24.9203	60
1985	10,070,695	3.160%	21.3044	61
1980	8,621,295	2.960%	18.2383	68
1975	7,450,943	2.710%	15.7624	70
1970	6,519,651	2.460%	13.7923	69
1965	5,773,432	2.210%	12.2137	69
1960	5,176,807	1.920%	10.9516	72
1955	4,706,884	1.790%	9.9575	72
1950	4,306,912	0.000%	9.1113	72

Major Cities in Cameroon by Population

Rank	City	Population
1	Douala	1,337,971
2	Yaounde	1,299,258
3	Garoua	436,788
4	Kousseri	435,436
5	Bamenda	393,724
6	Maroua	319,830
7	Bafoussam	290,657
8	Mokolo	275,128
9	Ngaoundere	231,246
10	Bertoua	218,000
11	Edea	203,038
12	Loum	177,318
13	Kumba	144,302
14	Nkongsamba	116,952
15	Mbouda	111,209
16	Dschang	96,001
17	Foumban	92,562
18	Ebolowa	87,764
19	Guider	84,536
20	Foumbot	83,954
21	Bafang	80,577
22	Yagoua	80,124
23	Mbalmayo	80,095
24	Meiganga	79,989
25	Bali	72,495
26	Limbe	71,995
27	Bafia	69,159
28	Wum	68,725
29	Bangangte	65,274
30	Tiko	55,803
31	Kribi	55,113
32	Mora	55,105
33	Sangmelima	54,140
34	Kumbo	53,859
35	Nkoteng	50,223
36	Mutengene	47,367
37	Buea	47,189
38	Garoua Boulai	46,504
39	Batouri	43,710
40	Fundong	43,398
41	Fontem	42,578
42	Mbanga	42,479
43	Banyo	40,687
44	Manjo	37,550
45	Melong	36,975
46	Tibati	35,478
47	Muyuka	31,273
48	Obala	29,901
49	Nanga Eboko	29,798
50	Penja	28,295
51	Mbandjok	26,836
52	Kaele	25,088
53	Bamusso	24,630
54	Lagdo	24,485
55	Tchollire	23,076
56	Belabo	22,442
57	Lolodorf	22,141
58	Eseka	22,110
59	Mamfe	19,361
60	Dizangue	19,132
61	Akonolinga	17,070
62	Bogo	16,841
63	Tonga	15,925
64	Abong Mbang	14,550
65	Yokadouma	13,176
66	Bazou	12,947
67	Mundemba	11,801
68	Betare Oya	11,755
69	Pitoa	11,343
70	Rey Bouba	11,343
71	Mindif	10,427
72	Babanki	9,740
73	Mbengwi	9,623
74	Akom II	9,598
75	Batibo	9,052
76	Belo	8,594
77	Ambam	8,365
78	Dimako	8,365
79	Ndikinimeki	8,136
80	Njinikom	8,136
81	Bonaberi	7,980
82	Kontcha	7,907
83	Ngou	7,449
84	Bansoa	7,449
85	Yabassi	7,449
86	Bekondo	7,220
87	Makary	7,220
88	Bandjoun	6,761
89	Belel	6,720
90	Bamendjou	6,532
91	Ngambe	6,303
92	Ntui	6,074
93	Mme-Bafumen	6,038
94	Bana	5,616
95	Bankim	5,616
96	Poli	5,616
97	Saa	5,616
98	Doume	5,470
99	Ndom	5,387
100	Nguti	5,387
101	Okola	5,279
102	Jakiri	5,158
103	Yoko	5,158
104	Ndelele	4,929

People Groups

The country has an ethnically very composed population. There are about 200 ethnic groups, most of them Bantu-speaking, but a total of about 300 Ethnolinguistic groups. Largest groups of people are fang and bulu (related to people in neighboring Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in the south), bamileke, duala and fulani.

In the southeast, some baka people (formerly called pygmies) live in scattered groups. These are believed to be some of the first to populate Cameroon, but began from around 4000 years ago to be displaced south by Bantu people from the north. The Bakab population, consisting of a number of subgroups, therefore live a substantial nomadic life in the rainforest in southeastern Cameroon today. The pressure of a more modern society in search of tropical timber and other natural resources constitutes an ever smaller proportion of the population. Along with other ethnic groups such as bulu, ewondo, fang and spouse, the population of southeastern Cameroon makes up about 20 percent of the population.

In the north, many live with a partially nomadic way of life. These include, in particular, the volcanoes that are spread across much of the Sahel Belt in West Africa. The Fulanis, who are mainly Muslims, consist of various subgroups, including resident and semi-nomadic fulani, as well as nomadic fulani known as ‘mbororo’ or ‘nomadic fulani’ (from the language full). Together with other Muslim people, such as Hausa and Kanuri, these people make up about 15 percent of the population of Cameroon.

Another group of people who are mostly resident in northern Cameroon is called kirdi – a term derived from the language kanuri and meaning “pagan” or “non-muslim”. In short, they do not differ from the other peoples of northern Cameroon in any way other than being non-Muslim. Therefore, they do not form their own ethnic group. Kirdi represents about 10 percent of the population of Cameroon.

In the highlands in the southwestern part of Cameroon and in the plains of the northwest, a large proportion of the population lives by the people of Bamili. These Bantu people are believed to have immigrated from the north hundreds of years ago as a result of population pressure and Islamization in the north. They often excel in crafts, agriculture, trade and business. They are divided into a number of subgroups with different languages ​​and cultures and are also divided between the English-speaking and the French-speaking sections of the population. These people include bamoun, which unlike the Christian bamilians, is Muslim with a culture more similar to the Hausa. Together with other population groups in the west and northwest, this part of the population makes up about 40 percent of the country’s total population.

Near the coast in the southwest, people’s groups like bass and duala live and other related groups such as bakoko, bakweri, bamboko, batanga, bodiman, ewodi, isubu, malimba, mbedi, mungo, and pongo. These people groups, sometimes referred to as coastal people or ‘sawa’ for ‘coastal’ in the language duala, make up about 15 percent of the population and comprise the coastline from the Sud-Ouest region (South-West), via Littoral to Sud with the rainforest areas. within. While some of these peoples have inhabited this area for many centuries, such as the bass and bakoko, others who duala probably immigrated later, possibly as late as 300–400 years ago, from the area around the Congo River, and hence the close relationship between the languages ​​duala in Cameroon and lingala in Congo. Common to all ‘sawa’ is that, with their geographical connection to the coast, they have had closer contact with Europeans, and thus more access to trade, education and other cultural exchanges. They therefore often claim to be stronger in society and business than any of the more northern peoples.

Social contradictions

Although Cameroon appears as a peaceful country compared to many of the neighboring countries in the region, there are many signs suggesting unresolved social contradictions in the country. It is primarily a very different distribution of resources, between a majority living in poverty and small groups with great wealth. In recent years, society has generally experienced an increase in crime and violence.

Furthermore, the contradictions between former West Cameroon and East Cameroon continue to be an unsolved dilemma, where the population of English-speaking and English-cultural West Cameroon, which constitutes about 20 percent of Cameroon’s total population, still feels discriminated against the population of the former East Cameroon, which makes up about 80 percent of the population. The country is therefore characterized by a cultural, linguistic and political division between the west and the east, based on their different colonial history. This means, for example, that the educational system is still different in the two different parts of the country.

Other contradictions revolve around ethnic and religious contradictions, and while these are far less prominent than in neighboring Nigeria, such divisions, along with other divisions, help divide the population and undermine the standard of living standards among most people.