Cameroon: Other expense (% of expense)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.91 percentage points from 1.34% in 2016. Since 2012 it is down 7.17 percentage points from 7.61% in 2012.

What the numbers say

In 2021, Cameroon's other expense (% of expense) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.6% to 0.43%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2020), the average change was −0.88 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 0.27 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.6 percentage points in 2013. 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 downward, about 0.46 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 39% 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 11th highest value of the 12 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

• Congo, Rep. — 7th of 12: 2.6%
• Gabon — 8th of 12: 1.59%
• Lebanon — 9th of 12: 1.43%
• Nepal — 11th of 12: 0.27%
• Azerbaijan — 12th of 12: 0.02%

What this measures

Other expense is spending on dividends, rent, and other miscellaneous expenses, including provision for consumption of fixed capital. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.

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 median.

All 10 values

Other expense (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Angola — 1.59% (2019)
• Burkina Faso — 2.6% (2023)
• Burundi — 4.46% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 2.72% (2020)
• Central African Republic — 13.22% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 23.73% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 2.6% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 2.75% (2023)
• Eswatini — 4.27% (2021)
• Ethiopia — 3.32% (2023)
• Gabon — 1.59% (2021)

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

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Questions people ask

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

0.43% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2012?

It is down 7.17 percentage points from 7.61% in 2012. The highest value was 7.61% in 2012 and the lowest 0.06% in 2017.

How does Cameroon rank?

11th highest of 12 economies with data for 2021.

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

In 2021, Cameroon's other expense (% of expense) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.6% to 0.43%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2020), the average change was −0.88 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.OTHR.ZS, 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.

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