Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 1.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Cameroon, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows in Cameroon is 1.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 39.0% on the previous year and down 52.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Cameroon peaked at 4.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, -0.9%, in 1990.
Cameroon ranks 146th of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.4% | — |
| 1971 | 0.1% | -90.1% |
| 1972 | 0.2% | +60.3% |
| 1973 | 0.2% | -26.0% |
| 1974 | 1.0% | +514.1% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -40.3% |
| 1977 | 0.3% | -54.7% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | +238.9% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | +20.6% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | +85.4% |
| 1981 | 2.0% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | -17.7% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | +84.6% |
| 1984 | 0.2% | -92.2% |
| 1985 | 3.7% | +1431.6% |
| 1986 | -0.8% | -120.7% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | -216.1% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | -15.0% |
| 1989 | -0.8% | -203.1% |
| 1990 | -0.9% | +17.7% |
| 1991 | -0.1% | -86.6% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | -297.6% |
| 1993 | 0.0% | -86.9% |
| 1994 | 0.0% | +30.4% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | +236.9% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +577.0% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +47.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -64.7% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -38.1% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | +399.3% |
| 2001 | -0.1% | -107.0% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | -3919.7% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -48.5% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -82.8% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +245.8% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -77.4% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +180.2% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -90.4% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +3426.7% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -27.0% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +9.4% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -18.0% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | +22.9% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | +8.1% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +14.9% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -15.1% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | +34.9% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -35.9% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | +29.3% |
| 2022 | 2.1% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -19.4% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -39.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 1.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.9%, 54% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 1.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.0%, 52% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +3919.7% | -0.1% | 4.1% |
| 2009 | +3426.7% | 0.1% | 2.7% |
| 1985 | +1431.6% | 0.2% | 3.7% |
| 1996 | +577.0% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 1974 | +514.1% | 0.2% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | -0.8% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | -0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | -0.1% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.0% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More economy & growth data for Cameroon
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.05 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -0.6569 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 0.7283 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -5.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.5318 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 17.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0156 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Cameroon?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Cameroon was 1.0% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9% in 1990.
- How does Cameroon rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Cameroon ranks 146th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.