Life expectancy at birth, total in Cameroon
Cameroon: Life expectancy at birth, total was 63.97 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
63.97 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
195th
of 218 countries
All-time high
63.97 years
in 2024
All-time low
34.67 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Cameroon, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, life expectancy at birth, total in Cameroon stood at 63.97 years. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Cameroon peaked at 63.97 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.67 years, in 1960.
That places Cameroon 195th 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, total in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 34.67 years | — |
| 1961 | 35.19 years | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 42.6 years | +21.1% |
| 1963 | 43.07 years | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 43.6 years | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 44.17 years | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 44.84 years | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 45.6 years | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 46.39 years | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 47.19 years | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 47.95 years | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 48.58 years | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 49.12 years | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 49.52 years | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 49.73 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 49.89 years | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 50.02 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 50.13 years | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 50.32 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 50.53 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 50.85 years | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 51.23 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 51.8 years | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 52.45 years | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 52.89 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 53.47 years | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 53.57 years | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 54.19 years | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 54.36 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 54.39 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 54.35 years | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 54.17 years | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 54.05 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 53.87 years | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 53.54 years | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 53.35 years | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 53.2 years | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 53.1 years | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 53.04 years | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 53.17 years | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 53.34 years | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 53.6 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 53.92 years | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 54.25 years | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 54.58 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 54.9 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 55.3 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 55.71 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 56.12 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 56.49 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 56.97 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 57.48 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 58.17 years | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 58.73 years | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 59.13 years | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 59.69 years | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 60.29 years | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 60.82 years | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 61.19 years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 61.7 years | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 61.67 years | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 61.15 years | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 62.44 years | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 63.7 years | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 63.97 years | +0.4% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 63.97 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.9 years, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 63.97 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.73 years | 34.67 years | 47.19 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.58 years | 47.95 years | 50.53 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.92 years | 50.85 years | 54.39 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.58 years | 53.04 years | 54.35 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.82 years | 53.34 years | 56.49 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.42 years | 56.97 years | 61.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.59 years | 61.15 years | 63.97 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 192 Angola 64.81 years compare
- 193 Eswatini 64.26 years compare
- 194 Guinea-Bissau 64.25 years compare
- 196 Equatorial Guinea 63.91 years compare
- 197 Madagascar 63.84 years compare
- 198 Kenya 63.83 years compare
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 786.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 12,841 deaths (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Cameroon?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Cameroon was 63.97 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 63.97 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.67 years in 1960.
- How does Cameroon rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Cameroon ranks 195th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. 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), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (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.