Demographics of Cameroon


The demographic profile of Cameroon is complex for a country of its population. Cameroon comprises an estimated 250 distinct ethnic groups, which may be formed into five large regional-cultural divisions:
  • western highlanders, including the Bamileke, Bamum, and many smaller Tikar groups in the Northwest ;
  • coastal tropical forest peoples, including the Bassa, Duala, and many smaller groups in the Southwest ;
  • southern tropical forest peoples, including the Beti-Pahuin, Bulu, Fang, Maka, Njem, and Baka pygmies ;
  • predominantly Islamic peoples of the northern semi-arid regions and central highlands, including the Fulani ; and
  • the "Kirdi", non-Islamic or recently Islamic peoples of the northern desert and central highlands.
The Cameroon government held two national censuses during the country's first 44 years as an independent country, in 1976 and again in 1987. Results from the second head count were never published. A third census, expected to take years to produce results, began on November 11, 2005, with a three-week interviewing phase. It is one of a series of projects and reforms required by the International Monetary Fund as prerequisites for foreign debt relief. The first results were published in 2010.
Image:Tikar family.jpg|thumb|260px|A Tikar family in the Northwest Province

Population

According to the total population was in, compared to only 4 466 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.6%, 55.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.5% was 65 years or older.
Total populationPopulation aged 0–14 Population aged 15–64 Population aged 65+
19504 466 00039.656.93.5
19554 901 00040.156.43.5
19605 409 00040.655.93.6
19656 049 00041.554.93.6
19706 842 00042.454.03.6
19757 838 00043.652.73.7
19809 110 00044.651.83.6
198510 519 00045.251.23.6
199012 181 00045.251.33.6
199513 940 00044.452.13.5
200015 678 00042.853.73.5
200517 554 00041.654.93.5
201019 599 00040.655.93.5

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total9 599 2249 806 87619 406 100100
0–41 662 2981 624 9363 287 23416.94
5–91 412 4671 370 9922 783 45914.34
10–141 227 4701 167 2012 394 67112.34
15–191 068 5091 101 5262 170 03511.18
20–24855 334981 9551 837 2899.47
25–29712 550813 2661 525 8167.86
30–34588 210621 3971 209 6076.23
35–39460 394482 319942 7134.86
40–44388 539405 307793 8464.09
45–49323 507316 740640 2473.30
50–54261 626260 284521 9102.69
55–59178 876159 112337 9881.74
60–64155 208160 671315 8791.63
65–69110 645116 645227 2901.17
70–7488 969100 602189 5710.98
75–7947 17350 90598 0780.51
80–8431 60939 97671 5850.37
85–8912 10914 45526 5640.14
90–946 9428 77315 7150.08
95+6 7899 81416 6030.09
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–144 302 2354 163 1298 465 36443.62
15–644 992 7535 302 57710 295 33053.05
65+304 236341 170645 4063.33

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total12 609 25612 883 09825 492 354100
0–41 904 0571 975 6563 879 71315.22
5–91 720 6051 757 7073 478 31213.64
10–141 574 3881 524 4153 098 80312.16
15–191 386 4361 346 6722 733 10810.72
20–241 213 9591 171 5002 385 4599.36
25–291 035 624985 3142 020 9387.93
30–34888 422967 5291 855 9517.28
35–39684 460786 7281 471 1885.77
40–44584 695650 8911 235 5864.85
45–49438 096447 171885 2673.47
50–54352 927392 864745 7912.93
55–59275 690281 896557 5862.19
60–64220 891242 450463 3411.82
65–69143 542141 522285 0641.12
70–74101 474110 948212 4220.83
75–7949 48655 219104 7050.41
80+34 50444 61679 1200.31
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–145 199 0505 257 77810 456 82841.02
15–647 130 6867 273 01514 403 70156.50
65+279 520352 305631 8252.48

Demographic and Health Surveys

Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate :
YearCBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR
1991395.82 5.17 6.29
199837.45.2 31.53.9 40.15.8
200437.85.0 34.94.0 40.56.1
201138.15.1 34.64.041.36.4
201836.84.8 32.93.8 40.76.0

Fertility data as of 2011 :
RegionTotal fertility ratePercentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnantMean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Adamaoua5.28.66.5
Centre 5.68.85.5
Douala3.28.14.5
Est5.412.05.6
Extrême-Nord6.814.87.3
Littoral 4.68.45.1
Nord6.512.47.1
Nord-Ouest4.46.95.4
Ouest6.010.15.8
Sud4.69.65.2
Sud-Ouest4.07.65.5
Yaoundé3.56.54.4

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Cameroon not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.

Ethnic groups

  • Cameroon Highlanders 31%
  • Equatorial Bantu 19%
  • Kirdi 11%
  • Fulani 10%
  • Baggara Arabs
  • Hausa
  • Mafa
  • Kanuri
  • Northwestern Bantu 8%
  • Eastern Nigritic 7%
  • Other African 13%
  • Non-African less than 1%

    Languages

There are 24 major African language groups in Cameroon; additionally, English and French are official languages. Cameroonian Pidgin English is also widely spoken.
Peoples concentrated in the Southwest and Northwest Provinces—around Buea and Bamenda—use standard English and Cameroonian Pidgin English, as well as their local languages. In the three northern provinces—Adamawa, North, and Far North—either French or Fulfulde is widely spoken. Elsewhere, French is the principal second language, although pidgin and some local languages such as Ewondo, the dialect of a Beti clan from the Yaoundé area, have a wide currency. In Far North Region the northernmost constituent province of Cameroon, Mafa Language Arab Shuwa and is spoken by the Baggara Arabs.
Indigenous languages of Cameroon include:
  • Arab Shuwa
  • Bamum
  • Basaa
  • Bikya
  • Bung
  • Kanuri
  • Ngumba
  • Yeni
  • Lamnso
  • Meta'
  • Mafa
Image:Cameroon-demography.png|thumb|260px|Estimated number of inhabitants, based on 2005 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization.