Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Cameroon
Cameroon: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 13.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Cameroon, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 13.8% for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Cameroon peaked at 21.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 2000.
That places Cameroon 79th out of 194 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.7% | — |
| 2001 | 15.7% | +34.7% |
| 2003 | 21.4% | +36.3% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 21.4% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 20.3% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 21.4% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 15.7% | -26.6% |
| 2009 | 19.8% | +26.0% |
| 2010 | 18.8% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 14.9% | -20.7% |
| 2012 | 15.2% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 13.8% | -8.9% |
| 2014 | 12.9% | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 13.2% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 15.9% | +25.3% |
| 2018 | 16.9% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 14.2% | -16.0% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 15.0% | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 12.8% | -15.2% |
| 2023 | 13.1% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 13.8% | +5.7% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 13.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.5%, 95% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 13.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.7% | 11.7% | 21.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 12.7% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.8% | 12.8% | 15.0% | 5 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 63.42 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0012 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 2.18 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 888.22 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 8.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0167 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 30.5 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Cameroon?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Cameroon was 13.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 21.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 2000.
- How does Cameroon rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Cameroon ranks 79th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.