Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 14.9 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 54.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 27.1 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 95.5% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 83.9% more likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 45.6 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
be 16.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 93.4% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.3% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 68.2% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% do as of 2024.
be 40.0% 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 United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 90.8% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.7 times more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.6 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 14.8% less likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 34.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.2 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 56.8 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 18.1 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 86.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.9 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.