Cameroon: Expense (% of GDP)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.52 percentage points from 11.9% in 2016. Since 1990 it is down 2.13 percentage points from 14.56% in 1990. 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 expense (% of GDP) rose 0.36 percentage points on 2020 (from 12.06% to 12.42%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.44 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.52 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 1.25 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.03 percentage points in 1993. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 16% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2021, Cameroon had the 10th highest value of the 14 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 2021 ranking

• Nepal — 7th of 14: 19.44%
• Congo, Rep. — 8th of 14: 16.13%
• Gabon — 9th of 14: 14.05%
• Burundi — 11th of 14: 12.26%
• Central African Republic — 12th of 14: 11.66%
• Bangladesh — 13th of 14: 8.32%

What this measures

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

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).

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

All 18 values

Expense (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 14.57% (2019)
• Botswana — 26.53% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 19.58% (2023)
• Burundi — 12.26% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 30.88% (2020)
• Central African Republic — 11.66% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 12.45% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 16.13% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 17.88% (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 11.05% (2022)
• Eswatini — 24.62% (2021)
• Ethiopia

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
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Cameroon's expense (% of GDP)?

12.42% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 2.13 percentage points from 14.56% in 1990. The highest value was 15.81% in 1991 and the lowest 8.87% in 1995.

How does Cameroon rank?

10th highest of 14 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in expense (% of GDP) unusual for Cameroon?

In 2021, Cameroon's expense (% of GDP) rose 0.36 percentage points on 2020 (from 12.06% to 12.42%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.44 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.52 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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 GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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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