Cameroon

presidential republic

name: Yaounde geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Germans founded the city in 1888, but the name comes from the native Ewondo people; the meaning of the name is unclear

chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Joseph NGUTE (since 4 January 2019) cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); prime minister appointed by the president most recent election date: 12 October 2025 election results: 2025- Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 53.7%, Issa Tchiroma BAKARY (CNSF) 35.2%, Cabral LIBII (PCRN) 3.4%, Bello Boubou MAIGARI (UNDP)2.4%, other 5.3% 2018: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 71.3%, Maurice KAMTO (MRC) 14.2%, Cabral LIBII (Univers) 6.3%, other 8.2% (2018) expected date of next election: October 2032

legislature name: Parlement - Parliament legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly; judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for renewable 6-year terms subordinate courts: Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrates' courts

history: several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996 amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; amendment drafts require approval of at least one third of the membership in either house of Parliament; passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership; passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership; the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority; constitutional articles on Cameroon s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, MNJTF, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1% of GDP (2024 est.) 1% of GDP (2023 est.) 1% of GDP (2022 est.) 1% of GDP (2021 est.) 1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Cameroon Armed Forces (Forces Armees Camerounaises, FAC): Army, Cameroon Navy (includes naval infantry or fusiliers marin), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Firefighting Corps General Delegation for National Security (D l gation G n rale la S ret Nationale or DGSN): Cameroon Police (2025) note 1: the Army includes the Rapid Intervention Brigade (Brigade d Intervention Rapide or BIR), which maintains its own command and control structure and reports directly to the Chief of Defense staff and the Presidency; the BIR includes airborne/airmobile, amphibious, armored reconnaissance, artillery, and counterterrorism forces, as well as support elements, such as intelligence note 2: the Cameroon Police and the National Gendarmerie are responsible for internal security; the Gendarmerie conducts administrative, criminal, and military investigative functions; other missions include customs, air and maritime surveillance, and road traffic control; in times of conflict, it participates in internal defense

18-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (18-28 for medical services); no conscription; service obligation 4 years (2025)

the Cameroon Armed Forces (FAC) are responsible for defending the country's territorial integrity, providing humanitarian assistance, supporting regional peacekeeping operations, and contributing to internal security; key areas of focus are the threat from the terrorist groups Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa along its frontiers with Nigeria and Chad (Far North region) and, since 2016, an insurgency from armed Anglophone separatist groups in the North-West and South-West regions; in addition, the FAC often deploys ground units to the border region with the Central African Republic to counter intrusions from armed militias and bandits; the Navy s missions include protecting Cameroon s oil installations, combatting crime and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, and patrolling the country s lakes and rivers; the FAC's small Air Force supports both the ground and naval forces (2025)

750 (plus about 400 police) Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2025) note: Cameroon has committed approximately 2,000-2,500 troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own country territories, although cross‐border operations occur occasionally

$143.264 billion (2024 est.) $138.191 billion (2023 est.) $133.843 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$4,900 (2024 est.) $4,900 (2023 est.) $4,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

3.7% (2024 est.) 3.2% (2023 est.) 3.7% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

4.5% (2024 est.) 7.4% (2023 est.) 6.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

32.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

$8.353 billion (2023 est.) $8.641 billion (2022 est.) $7.447 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$10.294 billion (2023 est.) $9.759 billion (2022 est.) $9.025 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3.6% (2024 est.) 3.7% (2023 est.) 3.7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $6.385 billion (2021 est.) expenditures: $7.624 billion (2021 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair

cassava, plantains, oil palm fruit, maize, taro, tomatoes, sorghum, sugarcane, bananas, vegetables (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 31,518,954 (2025 est.) male: 15,683,611 female: 15,835,343

2.37% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 41.5% (male 6,477,438/female 6,364,987) 15-64 years: 55.3% (male 8,488,522/female 8,638,519) 65 years and over: 3.2% (2024 est.) (male 463,628/female 533,011)

30.79 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 64.2 years (2024 est.) male: 62.3 years female: 66.1 years

urban population: 59.3% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Bamileke-Bamu 22.2%, Biu-Mandara 16.4%, Arab-Choa/Hausa/Kanuri 13.5%, Beti/Bassa, Mbam 13.1%, Grassfields 9.9%, Adamawa-Ubangi, 9.8%, Cotier/Ngoe/Oroko 4.6%, Southwestern Bantu 4.3%, Kako/Meka 2.3%, foreign/other ethnic group 3.8% (2022 est.)

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official) major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English) The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

Roman Catholic 33.1%, Muslim 30.6%, Protestant 27.1% other Christian 6.1%, animist 1.3%, other 0.7%, none 1.2% (2022 est.)

total population: 72.6% (2018 est.) male: 79.7% (2018 est.) female: 66.2% (2018 est.)

petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Boko Haram; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham West Africa note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 443,740 (2024 est.) IDPs: 1,058,405 (2024 est.)

37 (2025)

total: 987 km (2014) narrow gauge: 987 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge note: railway connections generally efficient but limited; rail lines connect major cities of Douala, Yaounde, Ngaoundere, and Garoua; passenger and freight service provided by CAMRAIL

total: 198 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 2, general cargo 91, oil tanker 42, other 63

total subscriptions: 31.5 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 42% (2023 est.)