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

Health

be 28.1% less likely to be obese

In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 44.1% less likely to die by suicide

Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Latvia, 0.5% 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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live 12.5 years less

In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 91.9% less spent on your healthcare

Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

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have 96.0% fewer doctors per person

Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

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have 41.3% less access to essential health services

Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 45.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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be 67.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.

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make 92.5% less money

Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

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Life

have 4.8 times more children

In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 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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be 13.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Latvia, approximately 19.0 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 27.4% less likely to be literate

In Latvia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 72.5% as of 2018.

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be 18.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 28.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Latvia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 50.1% less likely to have internet access

In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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be 27.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Latvia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% 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 34.3% less on education

Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 37.5% less on healthcare

Latvia spends 7.3% 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 19.3% less coastline

Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

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Safety

be 2.7 times more likely to be murdered

Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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Infrastructure

find 91.7% less home broadband

Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

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live with 52.9% more strain on fresh water

Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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use 94.0% less electricity

Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 90.4% less CO2

Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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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How big is Cameroon compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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