Cameroon: Adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 1.22 percentage points from 94.09% in 2012. Since 1971 it is up 28.62 percentage points from 64.26% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 26 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Cameroon's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) fell 1.62 percentage points on 2016 (from 94.49% to 92.87%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +0.73 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.65 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.59 percentage points in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.1 percentage points in 1974. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.08 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 73% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Cameroon had the 46th highest value of the 60 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Cameroon in the 2017 ranking

• Chile — 43rd of 60: 94.78%
• São Tomé and Principe — 44th of 60: 93.97%
• Estonia — 45th of 60: 93.93%
• South Africa — 47th of 60: 92.45%
• Germany — 48th of 60: 90.35%
• Venezuela, RB — 49th of 60: 89.68%

What this measures

Adjusted net enrollment is the number of pupils of the school-age group for primary education, enrolled either in primary or secondary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 21 values

Adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) in nearby economies

• Benin — 97.21% (2018)
• Burkina Faso — 79.34% (2018)
• Burundi — 93.42% (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 93.53% (2018)
• Chad — 73.47% (2016)
• Comoros — 81.74% (2018)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 93.69% (2018)
• Equatorial Guinea — 44.35% (2015)

More education data for Cameroon

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 5.29 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 114.41% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 109.53% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 119.22% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 121,453 (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 35.62% (2019)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Cameroon's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children)?

92.87% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 28.62 percentage points from 64.26% in 1971. The highest value was 95.2% in 2015 and the lowest 59.38% in 1974.

How does Cameroon rank?

46th highest of 60 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) unusual for Cameroon?

In 2017, Cameroon's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) fell 1.62 percentage points on 2016 (from 94.49% to 92.87%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +0.73 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.65 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TENR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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