If you lived in Cameroon instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

live 1.9 years longer

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 4.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

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have 34.6% fewer doctors per person

Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

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Economy

be 18.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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be 32.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.

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make 2.4 times more money

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

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Life

be 39.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 28.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cameroon, on the other hand, 40.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 18.4% fewer children

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 3.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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be 2.0 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 71% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 23.6% more on healthcare

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 10.9 times more coastline

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

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Safety

be 35.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 71.0 times more home broadband

Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

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use 75.9% more electricity

Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 6.8 times more strain on fresh water

Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 40.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.

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emit 5.8 times more CO2

Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Cameroon: At a glance

Cameroon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 472,710 sq km. French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.
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