Income Inequality Measures in Cameroon
Published 2026-10-08 · 24Peaks Research
Income Inequality Measures in Cameroon
Income inequality in Cameroon is most commonly summarized by the Gini coefficient, which stood at roughly 42–44 as of the latest available year, indicating a high level of inequality by global standards. The World Bank estimates that the richest 10% of Cameroonians capture a disproportionate share of national consumption, while the poorest 40% account for a much smaller portion. Because survey years are irregular, all figures should be read as referring to the latest available survey year rather than to the current calendar year; 24Peaks hosts the latest series for Cameroon and comparable countries.
What the Main Inequality Measures Capture
- Gini coefficient: A single number between 0 (perfect equality) and 100 (perfect inequality) that summarizes how consumption or income is distributed across a population. Cameroon's Gini is computed from household survey data, typically the Cameroon Household Consumption Survey, using per capita consumption rather than income.
- Consumption share by quintile or decile: Shows what percentage of total consumption goes to the poorest 20%, the middle 60%, and the richest 20%. These shares reveal where inequality is concentrated in a way the Gini alone cannot.
- Palma ratio: Compares the share of the top 10% with the share of the bottom 40%. This is often more intuitive for investors because it tracks the gap between the very top and the lower-middle of the distribution.
- Poverty headcount at national and international lines: The share of the population below the national poverty line or below the international poverty line (currently $2.15 per day in 2017 PPP terms). Inequality and poverty trends often diverge, so both should be tracked.
- Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): The UN and Oxford measure non-monetary deprivation in health, education, and living standards. In Cameroon, the MPI is typically higher than the monetary poverty rate, reflecting gaps in public services.
Why Income Inequality Matters for Cameroon
High inequality constrains the pace at which growth reduces poverty. If the top decile absorbs most of the gains from oil, timber, and agricultural exports, a rising GDP can coexist with stagnant living standards for the bottom half of the population. This is a persistent feature of Cameroon's growth pattern, which has been only moderately pro-poor over the past two decades.
Inequality also shapes fiscal and social stability. Cameroon has faced security challenges in the Far North, Northwest, and Southwest regions, and economic exclusion is one channel through which grievances translate into instability. For investors, this matters because it affects the risk premium attached to the country, the durability of consumer demand, and the political feasibility of reforms such as fuel subsidy removal.
Finally, inequality affects the composition of domestic demand. A narrow top tier supports imports and luxury services, while a broad middle class is needed to sustain mass-market banking, telecoms, and retail. Where the distribution is skewed, consumer-facing sectors grow more slowly than headline GDP suggests.
Recent Trends and Regional Differences
Inequality in Cameroon has been relatively high but broadly stable over the past two decades, with the Gini oscillating in the low-to-mid 40s across survey rounds. The key feature is the urban-rural gap: consumption levels in Douala and Yaoundé are substantially above those in rural areas of the Far North, Adamawa, and eastern regions. As of the latest available year, rural poverty rates are roughly two to three times urban rates.
Regional divergence is pronounced:
- Far North, North, and Adamawa: the poorest regions, with the highest poverty headcounts and the lowest access to schooling and health services. Insecurity has compounded long-standing underinvestment.
- Northwest, Southwest, West, and Littoral: middle-income regions with stronger agricultural and trading activity, though the Northwest and Southwest crises have disrupted livelihoods since around 2017.
- Centre and Douala: the wealthiest areas, home to the capital and the main commercial port, with the highest share of formal-sector jobs and the largest concentration of top-decile households.
The 2019–2023 period brought additional pressure from the COVID-19 shock, higher food and fuel prices, and the Russia-Ukraine war's effect on imported staples. These shocks tend to raise inequality because poorer households spend a larger share of their budgets on food and transport.
How Cameroon Compares With Other Countries
The table below compares Cameroon with a small set of economies that have published comparable survey-based estimates. Values are approximate and refer to the latest available survey year in each case.
| Country | Recent Gini value | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | ~42–44 | Latest available survey year | High inequality; large urban-rural gap; consumption-based measure |
| Ghana | ~43–44 | Latest available survey year | Similar level; inequality has risen with oil and cocoa cycles |
| Nigeria | ~35–37 | Latest available survey year | Lower Gini than Cameroon but far higher absolute poverty headcount |
| South Africa | ~63 | Latest available survey year | Among the highest in the world; income-based measure, not directly comparable |
| Brazil | ~52 | Latest available survey year | Historically high but declining on the back of social transfers |
Two cautions apply. First, consumption-based Ginis (as in Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria) are typically lower than income-based Ginis (as in South Africa), so cross-country comparisons must use the same underlying concept. Second, survey years differ, so a comparison is a snapshot of methodology-consistent estimates rather than a synchronized measurement.
Limitations of Inequality Data in Cameroon
- Irregular surveys: Cameroon's household surveys are not conducted annually, so there are multi-year gaps between data points. Any statement about the "current" Gini is really a statement about the latest survey year.
- Consumption vs income: Cameroon reports consumption-based measures. This understates capital income concentration, because wealthy households often derive income from assets rather than recorded consumption.
- Underreporting at the top: Rich households are less likely to be captured or to report accurately in surveys, which biases measured inequality downward. Administrative tax data, where available, tend to show higher concentration.
- Regional coverage: Insecurity in the Far North and the Northwest/Southwest has periodically made some areas hard to survey, which can distort national aggregates.
- Spatial price differences: Nominal consumption comparisons ignore the fact that prices differ between Douala and rural markets, so real inequality may differ from measured inequality.
Despite these caveats, the Gini and related indicators remain the standard tools for tracking distributional outcomes in Cameroon, and they are the measures most often cited by the IMF, World Bank, and UN agencies in country assessments.
FAQ
What is the Gini coefficient for Cameroon?
As of the latest available survey year, Cameroon's Gini coefficient is in the low-to-mid 40s on a 0–100 scale, indicating high inequality. It is calculated from household consumption data rather than income, which tends to produce lower values than income-based measures. 24Peaks hosts the latest series for tracking changes over time.
Is inequality rising or falling in Cameroon?
Inequality has been broadly stable at a high level over the past two decades, with modest fluctuations between survey rounds. Periods of food and fuel price shocks, such as 2020–2023, tend to widen the gap temporarily. The long-run trend is neither sharply rising nor sharply falling.
Which regions of Cameroon are most unequal?
Inequality is most visible in the gap between Douala and Yaoundé and the rural Far North, North, and Adamawa regions. The Northwest and Southwest also show elevated poverty following years of conflict. Urban areas have higher absolute consumption but also greater internal dispersion.
How does Cameroon compare with Nigeria and Ghana?
Cameroon's Gini is broadly similar to Ghana's and somewhat higher than Nigeria's on a consumption basis. However, all three have large populations below the international poverty line, so inequality levels alone do not capture the scale of deprivation. South Africa is far more unequal but uses an income-based measure.
Why do different sources report different Gini values for Cameroon?
Differences arise from survey year, whether the measure is based on income or consumption, how per capita values are adjusted for household size, and whether spatial price differences are applied. Sources that use different vintages of the same survey can also diverge. Always check the reference year and methodology before comparing numbers.
Compare income inequality measures for Cameroon and its peers on the 24Peaks workbench.