Literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon

Cameroon: Literacy rate, adult female was 66.2% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
66.2%
World rank
66th
of 89 countries
All-time high
66.2%
in 2018
All-time low
29.1%
in 1976
Years of data
5
1976–2018

Literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon, 1976–2018

02040601976199720181976: 29.1 % of females ages 15 and above2000: 58.7 % of females ages 15 and above2007: 63 % of females ages 15 and above2010: 64.8 % of females ages 15 and above2018: 66.2 % of females ages 15 and above

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.

Analysis

Cameroon recorded 66.2% for literacy rate, adult female in 2018. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is up 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon peaked at 66.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 29.1%, in 1976.

That places Cameroon 66th out of 89 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above) in Cameroon, 1976 to 2018.
Year % of females ages 15 and above Change
1976 29.1%
2000 58.7% +101.6%
2007 63.0% +7.3%
2010 64.8% +2.8%
2018 66.2% +2.1%

Cameroon compared with similar countries

  • Cameroon's 66.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.4%, 93% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
  • Cameroon's 66.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.2%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 29.1% 29.1% 29.1% 1
2000s 60.9% 58.7% 63.0% 2
2010s 65.5% 64.8% 66.2% 2

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 63 Ghana 72.1% compare
  2. 64 India 70.7% compare
  3. 65 Laos 66.7% compare
  4. 67 Burundi 66.1% compare
  5. 68 East Timor 65.7% compare
  6. 69 Zambia 64.4% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More gender data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon?
Literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon was 66.2% in 2018, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 66.2% in 2018.
What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 29.1% in 1976.
How does Cameroon rank for literacy rate, adult female?
Cameroon ranks 66th out of 89 countries with data for 2018.
Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, adult female in Cameroon. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-adult-female-percent-of-females-ages-15-and-above/cameroon/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of females ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,600 data points, 1973–2024
Last refreshed

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.