Life expectancy at birth in Cameroon
Cameroon: Life expectancy at birth was 63.7 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth in Cameroon, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Cameroon is 63.7 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Cameroon peaked at 63.7 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 33.09 years, in 1950.
Cameroon ranks 214th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 36.67 years | 33.09 years | 39.8 years | 10 |
| 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 | 62.24 years | 61.15 years | 63.7 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 211 Eswatini 64.12 years compare
- 212 Guinea-Bissau 64.08 years compare
- 213 Equatorial Guinea 63.71 years compare
- 215 Burundi 63.65 years compare
- 216 Kenya 63.65 years compare
- 217 Madagascar 63.63 years compare
More health data for Cameroon
- 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)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 4 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 4 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 244,584 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 245,558 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 251,698 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 252,310 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 260,306 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 260,630 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in Cameroon?
- Life expectancy at birth in Cameroon was 63.7 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 63.7 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.09 years in 1950.
- How does Cameroon rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Cameroon ranks 214th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.