Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cameroon instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.
have 25.7% more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ethiopia, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.
live 3.6 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.5 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.
be 40.0% more likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.
be 13.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.
Life
be 32.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 30.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% 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.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.
be 28.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% 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.
Expenditures
spend 23.5% more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 62.5% more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.6 times more home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.
live with 95.2% less strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 2.0 times more electricity
Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. Cameroon
Cameroon: At a glance
How big is Cameroon compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.