Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Life expectancy at birth, male (years) was 61.78 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, male in Cameroon, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in years.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 61.78 years for life expectancy at birth, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, male in Cameroon peaked at 61.78 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 29.45 years, in 1960.
That places Cameroon 197th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29.45 years | — |
| 1961 | 29.83 years | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 41.51 years | +39.2% |
| 1963 | 41.94 years | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 42.45 years | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 43 years | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 43.66 years | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 44.41 years | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 45.22 years | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 46.07 years | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 46.81 years | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 47.44 years | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 47.94 years | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 48.24 years | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 48.41 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 48.58 years | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 48.66 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 48.75 years | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 48.92 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 49.09 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 49.41 years | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 49.73 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 50.28 years | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 50.91 years | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 51.26 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 51.91 years | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 52.08 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 52.67 years | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 52.84 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 52.85 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 52.78 years | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 52.59 years | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 52.45 years | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 52.25 years | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 51.94 years | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 51.77 years | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 51.65 years | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 51.51 years | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 51.57 years | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 51.82 years | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 52.13 years | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 52.45 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 52.76 years | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 53.06 years | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 53.38 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 53.75 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 54.06 years | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.42 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 54.77 years | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 55.05 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 55.44 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 55.93 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 56.49 years | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 56.99 years | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 57.24 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 57.76 years | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 58.35 years | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 58.84 years | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 59.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 59.63 years | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 59.47 years | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 59.07 years | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 60.33 years | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 61.52 years | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 61.78 years | +0.4% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 61.78 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 65.46 years, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 61.78 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.25 years, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +39.2% | 29.83 years | 41.51 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 40.75 years | 29.45 years | 46.07 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.28 years | 46.81 years | 49.09 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.39 years | 49.41 years | 52.85 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.03 years | 51.51 years | 52.78 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.58 years | 52.13 years | 55.05 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.58 years | 55.44 years | 59.63 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.43 years | 59.07 years | 61.78 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More health data for Cameroon
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7821 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 12,841 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 17 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0746 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.076 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, male in Cameroon?
- Life expectancy at birth, male in Cameroon was 61.78 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, male recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 61.78 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, male recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.45 years in 1960.
- How does Cameroon rank for life expectancy at birth, male?
- Cameroon ranks 197th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, male rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.