Cameroon: Taxes on goods and services (current LCU)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 33.9% from 1.14 trillion in 2016 (6.01% a year on average, compounded). Since 1990 it is up 1,341% from 106.37 billion in 1990 (8.99% a year on average, compounded). 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 taxes on goods and services (current LCU) rose 16.1% on 2020 (from 1.32 trillion to 1.53 trillion).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +8.7% and a typical year strayed about 16% 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 49.9% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.9% in 2020. 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 86.06 billion a year. A straight line explains 89% 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.

Closest to Cameroon in the 2021 ranking

• Bangladesh — 2nd of 8: 1.47 trillion
• Burundi — 3rd of 8: 654.58 billion
• Congo, Rep. — 4th of 8: 232.66 billion

What this measures

General taxes on goods and services are taxes levied on the production, leasing, delivery, sale, purchase or other change of ownership of a wide range of goods and the provision of a wide range of services. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

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).

All 18 values

Taxes on goods and services (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 1.79 trillion (2024)
• Botswana — 10.79 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 1.34 trillion (2024)
• Burundi — 654.58 billion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 15.87 billion (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 4.54 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 232.66 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 2.44 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 89.25 billion (2022)
• Eswatini — 4.64 billion (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 taxes on goods and services (current LCU)?

1.53 trillion in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 1,341% from 106.37 billion in 1990 (8.99% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.53 trillion in 2021 and the lowest 86.92 billion in 1992.

Is the latest change in taxes on goods and services (current LCU) unusual for Cameroon?

In 2021, Cameroon's taxes on goods and services (current LCU) rose 16.1% on 2020 (from 1.32 trillion to 1.53 trillion). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +8.7% and a typical year strayed about 16% 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.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.GSRV.CN, 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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