Cameroon at its true size
Cameroon covers 475,442 km², number 52 of 194 countries by area. Home to 29,879,337 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 475,442 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 29,879,337 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 63 per km² |
| Capital | Yaounde |
| Local time in Yaounde | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, French |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +237 |
| Codes | CM · CMR · 120 |
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Where Cameroon ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#51 of 19430 million people#17 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#122 of 19463 people per km²#28 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#121 of 19256% urban#20 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#16 of 1924.26 births per woman#14 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#22 of 192+2.56% a year#13 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#15 of 19233.3 births per 1,000 people#13 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#102 of 1927.0 deaths per 1,000 people#26 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#16 of 19241.1% under 15#15 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#175 of 1922.8% aged 65 and over#42 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#100 of 192−0.5 per 1,000 people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#28 of 1904.70 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#12 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#169 of 19264.0 years#32 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#26 of 19140.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#24 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#161 of 1780.14 doctors per 1,000 people#36 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#118 of 14516.7% gross enrolment#10 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#152 of 190an index of 0.588#23 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#152 of 185$1,860 a person#25 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#147 of 18446% online#22 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#148 of 184$5,788 a person#25 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#93 of 187+3.2% a year#36 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#78 of 176+3.4% a year#26 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#119 of 1783.6% of the labour force#35 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#29 of 14926.7% under $3.00 a day#29 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#29 of 149a Gini index of 42.2#15 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#37 of 17841.9% of jobs#25 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#140 of 17814.6% of jobs#27 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#141 of 17843.5% of jobs#28 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#126 of 1841.0% of GDP#42 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#155 of 16813.1% of GDP#45 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#109 of 1551.1% of GDP#33 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#114 of 191108 subscriptions per 100 people#24 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#157 of 1850.35 tonnes a person#31 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#66 of 19241% forest#14 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#19 of 19079.2% renewable#17 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#153 of 19272.0% with electricity#19 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#10 of 19155.6 µg/m³#3 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#140 of 19111.0% of the land protected#36 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#79 of 19013.1% of the land arable#25 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#153 of 1761.6% of its available fresh water#41 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#51 of 1801,604 mm a year#10 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Cameroon’s area, lit up on the map →
- Papua New Guinea1.03×Cameroon and Papua New Guinea are almost exactly the same size.
- Turkmenistan0.97×Cameroon is 3% smaller than Turkmenistan.
- Yemen1.04×Cameroon is 4% larger than Yemen.
- Uzbekistan1.06×Cameroon is 6% larger than Uzbekistan.
- Sweden1.06×Cameroon is 6% larger than Sweden.
- Spain0.94×Cameroon is 6% smaller than Spain.
How many times does Cameroon fit into…
- Russia: about 36 times
- Canada: about 21 times
- United States: about 21 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Cameroon shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Chari1,400 km
- Benue1,370 km
- Sanaga918 km
- Sangha785 km
- Kadeï554 km
- Lom380 km
Summits
- Mount Cameroon4,095 m
- Mount Oku3,011 m
- Chappal Waddi2,419 m
- Mont Ngaoui1,410 m
Lakes
- Lake Chad1,540 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Cameroon. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Cameroon
- How big is Cameroon?
- Cameroon covers 475,442 km², which makes it number 52 of 194 countries by area. About 29,879,337 people live there (2025), 63 per km².
- Is Cameroon bigger than Papua New Guinea?
- Cameroon and Papua New Guinea are almost exactly the same size. Cameroon: 475,442 km²; Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Cameroon?
- Cameroon lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Cameroon?
- Cameroon shares a land border with Chad, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea.