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

Health

be 78.3% less likely to be obese

In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.1 years less

In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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 51.9% less spent on your healthcare

Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

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have 86.6% fewer doctors per person

Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

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have 22.8% less access to essential health services

Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

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be 79.7% more likely to die by suicide

Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 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 79.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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be 83.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.

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make 69.9% less money

Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

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Life

have 44.7% more children

In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 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 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Tonga, approximately 67.0 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 5.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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.

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Basic Needs

be 28.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Tonga, 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 31.4% less likely to have internet access

In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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be 27.8% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Tonga, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% 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 46.5% less on education

Tonga spends 5.3% 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 38.2% less on healthcare

Tonga spends 7.4% 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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Safety

be 7.1 times more likely to be murdered

Tonga has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 24.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 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 73.9% less home broadband

Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 78.5% less CO2

Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), 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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