Cameroon: Net ODA received (% of central government expense)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 1.63 percentage points from 18.8% in 2016. Since 1990 it is down 4.36 percentage points from 24.79% 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 net ODA received (% of central government expense) fell 8.08 percentage points on 2020 (from 28.51% to 20.43%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +1.91 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 20.8 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 56.71 percentage points in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 44.58 percentage points in 1995. 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 1.24 percentage points 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.

How it compares

In 2021, Cameroon had the 7th 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

• Lebanon — 3rd of 14: 96.49%
• West Bank and Gaza — 4th of 14: 45.64%
• Nepal — 5th of 14: 22.29%
• Zambia — 7th of 14: 19.61%
• Bangladesh — 8th of 14: 14.69%
• Eswatini — 9th of 14: 10.65%

What this measures

Net official development assistance (ODA) consists of disbursements of loans made on concessional terms (net of repayments of principal) and grants by official agencies of the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), by multilateral institutions, and by non-DAC countries to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. It includes loans with a grant element of at least 25 percent (calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent).

Limitations: Data on ODA is for aid-receiving countries. The data cover loans and grants from DAC member countries, multilateral organizations, and non-DAC donors. They do not reflect aid given by recipient countries to other developing countries. As a result, some countries that are net donors are shown as aid recipients. The indicator does not distinguish types of aid (program, project, or food aid; emergency assistance; or post-conflict peacekeeping assistance), which may have different effects on the economy. Ratio of aid to central government expense provides measures of recipient country's dependency on aid. But care must be taken in drawing policy conclusions.

All 18 values

Net ODA received (% of central government expense) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.19% (2019)
• Botswana — 6.13% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 36.5% (2023)
• Burundi — 145.28% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 28.31% (2020)
• Central African Republic — 224.99% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 37.53% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 8.59% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 16.45% (2023)

More economic policy & debt data for Cameroon

• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$5.05 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 3.02 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$34.19 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 20.13 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,144 (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$39.23 billion (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 23.14 trillion (2025)
• Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$)

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 net ODA received (% of central government expense)?

20.43% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 4.36 percentage points from 24.79% in 1990. The highest value was 90.66% in 1994 and the lowest 15.53% in 2012.

How does Cameroon rank?

7th highest of 14 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in net ODA received (% of central government expense) unusual for Cameroon?

In 2021, Cameroon's net ODA received (% of central government expense) fell 8.08 percentage points on 2020 (from 28.51% to 20.43%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +1.91 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 20.8 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 DT.ODA.ODAT.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Development Assistance Committee, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline; Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/ids… 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.