Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cameroon instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 9.3 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
have 15.8% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.
be 17.3% more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.
have 64.2% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.
be 70.3% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.
make 61.1% more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.
be 17.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 74.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 17.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 12.3% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.
be 13.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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 8.9 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 52.9% less coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 57.1% less likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 38.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.6 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.
live with 83.9% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 56.9% more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 38.6% less CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Cameroon
Cameroon: At a glance
How big is Cameroon compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.