Country profile

Cameroon

Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income29.12M inhabitants

Last updated November 20, 2025

Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing conflict. Data may not reflect the current situation due to instability.

Composite GEFRI Score

Critically unprepared

Cameroon is critically unprepared for education futures (16th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

26.7Composite score

Global percentile: 16th
Global rank: #150
Regional rank: #22
Data current as of: November 20, 2025

Infrastructure

37.9

21st percentileGlobal avg. 57.4

Human Capital

28.3

15th percentileGlobal avg. 46.8

Innovation

30.9

25th percentileGlobal avg. 43.3

Governance

26.2

18th percentileGlobal avg. 46.6

Access & Parity

10.0

31st percentileGlobal avg. 49.4

Country profile

Cameroon trails global peers in Infrastructure (38, 21st percentile), Innovation (31, 25th percentile), Human Capital (28, 15th percentile), and Governance (26, 18th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Regionally, Governance lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 16th percentile.
Places 150th worldwide among non-microstates.
Holds a regional position of 22nd within Sub-Saharan Africa .
Scores range from Infrastructure (37.9) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Trails regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
62	1	South Africa	57.46
65	2	Mauritius	57.15
—	—	SeychellesMicrostate	56.38
72	3	Botswana	55.79
108	4	Namibia	43.52
111	5	Ghana	40.79
114	6	Cabo Verde	39.65
120	7	Eswatini	37.11
127	8	Gabon	34.25
128	9	Equatorial Guinea	33.80
130	10	Senegal	32.90
131	11	Rwanda	32.79
133	12	Kenya	31.75
135	13	Cote d'Ivoire	31.31
137	14	Lesotho	30.80
139	15	Gambia, The	30.16
—	—	Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate	28.79
142	16	Zambia	27.98
143	17	Tanzania	27.71
144	18	Benin	27.46
146	19	Togo	27.30
147	20	Angola	27.12
148	21	ZimbabweFCS	27.03
150	22	CameroonFCS	26.66
151	23	Mauritania	24.95
152	24	ComorosFCS	24.58
153	25	Sierra Leone	24.51
154	26	Congo, Rep.FCS	23.86
155	27	MozambiqueFCS	23.72
156	28	NigeriaFCS	23.34
158	29	Madagascar	22.51
159	30	Malawi	22.41
161	31	EthiopiaFCS	22.20
162	32	Burkina FasoFCS	22.16
163	33	MaliFCS	21.92
164	34	Guinea	21.69
165	35	Uganda	21.62
166	36	Guinea-BissauFCS	21.13
167	37	Liberia	19.95
168	38	NigerFCS	18.89
169	39	SudanFCS	18.72
170	40	BurundiFCS	17.51
171	41	Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS	17.22
172	42	EritreaFCS	17.07
174	43	ChadFCS	13.99
175	44	South SudanFCS	13.84
176	45	Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS	13.50
177	46	Central African RepublicFCS	11.93