Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 14.0 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 42.1% less likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 6.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 22.9 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
have 84.1% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.0 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
be 28.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 93.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 33.3% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In China, it is 96.7% as of 2020.
be 89.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 79.7% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023. In China, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 98.0% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
be 34.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In China, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.3% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 30.5% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 36.1 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 92.6% less likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 64.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 22.2 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 28.9 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 26.6 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.6 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.