If you lived in Cameroon instead of Gabon, you would:

Health

be 10.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gabon, 2.8% 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 29.2% less likely to be obese

In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.5 years less

In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 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.

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see 63.4% less spent on your healthcare

Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

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have 73.9% fewer doctors per person

Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

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have 10.2% less access to essential health services

Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

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be 16.4% more likely to die by suicide

Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 82.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 76.1% less money

Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

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Life

have 22.9% more children

In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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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be 18.4% less likely to be literate

In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 72.5% as of 2018.

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be 55.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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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Basic Needs

be 23.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Gabon, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 29% 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 32.7% less likely to have internet access

In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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be 19.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% 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 22.4% more on education

Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 45.4% more on healthcare

Gabon spends 3.1% 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 54.6% less coastline

Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

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Safety

be 15.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 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 54.6% less home broadband

Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

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live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water

Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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use 77.9% less electricity

Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 82.9% less CO2

Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 90.6% more likely to die from air pollution

In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), 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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