Labor force participation rate in Cameroon
Cameroon: Labor force participation rate was 65.17 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
65.17
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
57th
of 186 countries
All-time high
82.23
in 1991
All-time low
65.17
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Cameroon, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 65.17 for labor force participation rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Cameroon peaked at 82.23 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 65.17, in 2025.
That places Cameroon 57th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 82.23 | — |
| 1991 | 82.23 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 82.23 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 82.22 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 82.2 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 82.17 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 82.13 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 82.08 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 82.03 | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 81.99 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 81.95 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 81.91 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 81.86 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 81.82 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 81.79 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 81.77 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 81.75 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 81.73 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 80.01 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 78.18 | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 76.23 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 75.24 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 74.22 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 73.17 | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 72.1 | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 71.15 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 70.22 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 69.31 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 68.39 | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 67.45 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 65.92 | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 65.31 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 65.58 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 65.55 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 65.53 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 65.17 | -0.5% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 65.17 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 65.17 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.31, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 82.15 | 81.99 | 82.23 | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.28 | 78.18 | 81.95 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.75 | 67.45 | 76.23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.51 | 65.17 | 65.92 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More work & labour data for Cameroon
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5809 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5736 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.588 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1629 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.48 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 36,415 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 13,402 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 45,113 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 43,763 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 88,876 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Cameroon?
- Labor force participation rate in Cameroon was 65.17 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 82.23 in 1991.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.17 in 2025.
- How does Cameroon rank for labor force participation rate?
- Cameroon ranks 57th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).