Cameroon's internally displaced persons (IDPs) by country or territory of asylum / origin was 954,000 in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 669.35% from 124,000 in 2015 (22.63% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 954,000 | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 1 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 124,000 | 2015 |
| Highest | 1.04 million | 2023 |
| Lowest | 40,000 | 2014 |
| Average since 2016 | 797,900 | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 40,000 | 2014 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Cameroon's internally displaced persons (IDPs) by country or territory of asylum / origin fell 7.3% on 2024 (from 1.03 million to 954,000).
Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2024), the average change was +51.9% and a typical year strayed about 77.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 210% in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.4% in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 87,048 a year. A straight line explains 64% 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.
How it compares
In 2025, Cameroon had the 15th highest value of the 44 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 954,000 | 2025 |
| World | 68.6 million | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 28.91 million | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 13.73 million | 2025 |
Closest to Cameroon in the 2025 ranking
- Burkina Faso — 12th of 44: 2.06 million
- West Bank and Gaza — 13th of 44: 2.04 million
- Iraq — 14th of 44: 997,000
- South Sudan — 16th of 44: 945,000
- Azerbaijan — 17th of 44: 657,000
- Chad — 18th of 44: 593,000
What this measures
Internally displaced people (IDPs) are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of, or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, and violations of human rights, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.
Limitations: Collecting accurate data on internally displaced people (IDPs) is challenging in conflict zones and areas with limited access, leading to potential underreporting or incomplete coverage. Repeated displacements and the complex dynamics of internal conflicts can result in double counting or misclassification of IDPs. Additionally, differing definitions of IDPs across countries and regions can hinder the comparability and reliability of the data, complicating international efforts to address internal displacement.
All 12 values
| Year | Internally displaced persons (IDPs) by country or territory of asylum / origin |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 954,000 |
| 2024 | 1,029,000 |
| 2023 | 1,044,000 |
| 2022 | 987,000 |
| 2021 | 909,000 |
| 2020 | 1,003,000 |
| 2019 | 969,000 |
| 2018 | 668,000 |
| 2017 | 239,000 |
| 2016 | 177,000 |
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) by country or territory of asylum / origin in nearby economies
- Burkina Faso — 2.06 million (2025)
- Burundi — 6,800 (2025)
- Central African Republic — 427,000 (2025)
- Chad — 593,000 (2025)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 4.28 million (2025)
- Congo, Rep. — 27,000 (2022)
- Côte d'Ivoire — 302,000 (2022)
- Ethiopia — 2.38 million (2025)
More social protection & labor data for Cameroon
- Net migration — -15,379 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 408,613 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 28.63% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 39.66% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 34.15% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 57.18% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 74.49% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Cameroon's internally displaced persons (IDPs) by country or territory of asylum / origin?
- 954,000 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2014?
- It is up 2,285% from 40,000 in 2014 (33.42% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.04 million in 2023 and the lowest 40,000 in 2014.
- How does Cameroon rank?
- 15th highest of 44 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in internally displaced persons (IDPs) by country or territory of asylum / origin unusual for Cameroon?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SM.POP.IDPC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), uri: https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/download; Global Internal Displacement Database, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: https://www.internal-displacement.org/database/displacement-data/ 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.
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