Labor force participation rate in Cameroon
Cameroon: Labor force participation rate was 65.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate in Cameroon, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 65.2% 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 82.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 65.2%, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 82.1% | 82.0% | 82.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.3% | 78.2% | 81.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.7% | 67.5% | 76.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.5% | 65.2% | 65.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More work & labour data for Cameroon
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 73.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 76.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 65.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 74.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 57.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Cameroon?
- Labor force participation rate in Cameroon was 65.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 82.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.2% 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 ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).