Cameroon: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate)

Key figures

Since 1976 it is up 1.27 percentage points from 64.05% in 1976. The World Bank has no value for 33 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Cameroon in the 2021 ranking

• Uganda — 1st of 3: 79.36%
• Ukraine — 3rd of 3: 54.64%

What this measures

Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.

Limitations: Data on the labor force are compiled by the ILO from labor force surveys, censuses, and establishment censuses and surveys. For some countries a combination of these sources is used. Labor force surveys are the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable labor force data. They can cover all non-institutionalized civilians, all branches and sectors of the economy, and all categories of workers, including people holding multiple jobs. By contrast, labor force data from population censuses are often based on a limited number of questions on the economic characteristics of individuals, with little scope to probe.

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

All 13 values

Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Angola — 74.34% (2025)
• Benin — 76.28% (2022)
• Botswana — 69.06% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 68.11% (2025)
• Burundi — 78.56% (2020)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 67.15% (2022)
• Ghana — 70.42% (2025)
• Lesotho

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

• 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 labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate)?

65.32% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is up 1.27 percentage points from 64.05% in 1976. The highest value was 81.73% in 2007 and the lowest 38.47% in 2000.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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.