Cameroon — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Cameroon, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Cameroon was 3.60% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 9.15% in 1993. The lowest was 3.06% in 2007 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.65% per year.
Cameroon ranks 127 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 68%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Cameroon sits below it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 61% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 2%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 29 of 47 economies; Burkina Faso (3.48%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 18% in 2007.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 62nd of 187 in 1991 → 88th of 187 in 2000 → 138th of 187 in 2010 → 150th of 187 in 2020 → 122nd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.6% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 3.6% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 3.61% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 3.65% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 3.98% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 3.88% | +0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 3.63% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 3.61% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 3.57% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 3.53% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 3.52% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 3.53% | -0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 3.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 3.84% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 3.99% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 4.11% | +0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 3.74% | +0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 3.39% | +0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 3.06% | -0.7 pp |
| 2006 | 3.73% | -0.7 pp |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -0.7 pp |
| 2004 | 5.09% | -0.8 pp |
| 2003 | 5.91% | -0.8 pp |
| 2002 | 6.71% | -0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 7.46% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 7.53% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 7.6% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 7.7% | -0.2 pp |
| 1997 | 7.86% | -0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 8.06% | -0.5 pp |
| 1995 | 8.6% | -0.3 pp |
| 1994 | 8.88% | -0.3 pp |
| 1993 | 9.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 9.06% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 8.99% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Cameroon’s Unemployment in 1992?
9.06% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Cameroon’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -59.9% in total — about 2.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 3.6%; 2024: 3.6%; 2023: 3.61%; 2022: 3.65%; 2021: 3.98%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.