Cameroon: Customs and other import duties (current LCU)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 8.27% from 332.1 billion in 2016 (1.6% a year on average, compounded). Since 1990 it is up 427.7% from 68.14 billion in 1990 (5.51% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 14 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2021, Cameroon's customs and other import duties (current LCU) rose 13.5% on 2020 (from 316.71 billion to 359.57 billion).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +5.4% and a typical year strayed about 19.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above 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 51.7% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.3% in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 7.35 billion a year. A straight line explains 43% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

Closest to Cameroon in the 2021 ranking

• Bangladesh — 2nd of 7: 315.92 billion
• Burundi — 3rd of 7: 134.03 billion
• Congo, Rep. — 4th of 7: 100.46 billion

What this measures

Taxes and duties on imports are taxes on goods and services that become payable at the moment when goods enter the economic territory or when services are delivered by non-resident producers to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 18 values

Customs and other import duties (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 405.23 billion (2024)
• Botswana — 24.21 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 343.67 billion (2024)
• Burundi — 134.03 billion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 6.59 billion (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1.45 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 100.46 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 756.49 billion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 22.45 billion (2022)
• Eswatini

More public sector data for Cameroon

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 627.47 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 364.86 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.06% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 2 million (2023)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 34,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.34% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 6.53% (2025)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Cameroon's customs and other import duties (current LCU)?

359.57 billion in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 427.7% from 68.14 billion in 1990 (5.51% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 376.2 billion in 2017 and the lowest 64.07 billion in 1991.

Is the latest change in customs and other import duties (current LCU) unusual for Cameroon?

In 2021, Cameroon's customs and other import duties (current LCU) rose 13.5% on 2020 (from 316.71 billion to 359.57 billion). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +5.4% and a typical year strayed about 19.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.IMPT.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.