If you lived in Cameroon instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 52.9% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 28.7% less likely to die by suicide

New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 25.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 18.0 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 95.6% less spent on your healthcare

New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 96.2% fewer doctors per person

New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 48.2% less access to essential health services

New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 29.1% less likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 96.0% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 3.0 times more children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 36.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 10.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 28.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Zealand, 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.

View global rankings →

be 50.5% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 28.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 45.5% less on education

New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 54.8% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 97.3% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 4.6 times more likely to be murdered

New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 60.6% more likely to die in a road accident

In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 80.6% less strain on fresh water

New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 94.4% less home broadband

New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 97.2% less electricity

New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 94.2% less CO2

New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 8.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), 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.
Read more

How big is Cameroon compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cameroon or New Zealand. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.