Urban population in Cameroon
Cameroon: Urban population was 16.63 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Cameroon, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Cameroon stood at 16.63 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Cameroon peaked at 16.63 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 702,246, in 1960.
Cameroon ranks 53rd of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 920,316 | 702,246 | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.93 million | 1.31 million | 2.59 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.51 million | 2.75 million | 4.33 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.56 million | 4.54 million | 6.64 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.21 million | 6.90 million | 9.65 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.81 million | 10.00 million | 13.76 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.41 million | 14.22 million | 16.63 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 50 Netherlands 17.35 million compare
- 51 North Korea 17.06 million compare
- 52 Myanmar 16.78 million compare
- 54 Uganda 16.41 million compare
- 55 Yemen 15.47 million compare
- 56 Mozambique 13.26 million compare
More climate change data for Cameroon
- Population growth 2.6% (2025)
- Population, total 29.88 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.0% (2025)
- Urban population 55.7% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 30.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.09 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 11.0% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 11.0% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 11.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Cameroon?
- Urban population in Cameroon was 16.63 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 16.63 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 702,246 in 1960.
- How does Cameroon rank for urban population?
- Cameroon ranks 53rd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.