Cameroon vs Nigeria
Cameroon vs Nigeria: Urban population
Urban population in 2025: 55.7% in Cameroon and 63.8% in Nigeria, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 8.1 percentage points, or 1.15 times that in Cameroon.
% of people · UN
What the numbers say
- Nigeria has been higher since 2009, when it overtook Cameroon.
- In 2025, Cameroon ranked 149 and Nigeria ranked 119 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Cameroon at 59.2% and Nigeria at 83.4% in 2050.
Every year
% of people · UN
| Year | Cameroon | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 55.7 | 63.8 |
| 2024 | 55.4 | 63 |
| 2023 | 55.1 | 62.2 |
| 2022 | 54.9 | 61.4 |
| 2021 | 54.6 | 60.6 |
| 2020 | 54.3 | 59.8 |
| 2019 | 54 | 59 |
| 2018 | 53.6 | 58.2 |
| 2017 | 53.3 | 57.4 |
| 2016 | 53 | 56.5 |
| 2015 | 52.6 | 55.7 |
| 2014 | 52.3 | 54.9 |
| 2013 | 52 | 54.1 |
| 2012 | 51.6 | 53.3 |
| 2011 | 51.2 | 52.5 |
| 2010 | 50.9 | 51.7 |
| 2009 | 50.5 | 50.9 |
| 2008 | 50.1 | 50.1 |
| 2007 | 49.7 | 49.2 |
| 2006 | 49.2 | 48.4 |
| 2005 | 48.6 | 47.6 |
| 2004 | 48.2 | 46.7 |
| 2003 | 47.7 | 45.8 |
| 2002 | 47.3 | 45 |
| 2001 | 46.8 | 44.1 |
| 2000 | 46.2 | 43.3 |
| 1999 | 45.7 | 42.4 |
| 1998 | 45.2 | 41.6 |
| 1997 | 44.6 | 40.8 |
| 1996 | 44 | 40 |
| 1995 | 43.4 | 39.1 |
| 1994 | 42.7 | 38.3 |
| 1993 | 42.1 | 37.5 |
| 1992 | 41.4 | 36.8 |
| 1991 | 40.8 | 36 |
| 1990 | 40.1 | 35.2 |
| 1989 | 39.4 | 34.4 |
| 1988 | 38.7 | 33.6 |
| 1987 | 38 | 32.8 |
| 1986 | 37.3 | 32.1 |
| 1985 | 36.5 | 31.3 |
| 1984 | 35.7 | 30.5 |
| 1983 | 34.9 | 29.7 |
| 1982 | 34.1 | 29 |
| 1981 | 33.2 | 28.2 |
| 1980 | 32.3 | 27.4 |
| 1979 | 31.4 | 26.7 |
| 1978 | 30.4 | 25.9 |
| 1977 | 29.4 | 25.2 |
| 1976 | 28.4 | 24.4 |
| 1975 | 27.2 | 23.7 |
| 1974 | 25.8 | 23 |
| 1973 | 24.2 | 22.3 |
| 1972 | 22.7 | 21.6 |
| 1971 | 21.4 | 20.9 |
| 1970 | 20.3 | 20.2 |
| 1969 | 19.4 | 19.6 |
| 1968 | 18.6 | 18.9 |
| 1967 | 17.7 | 18.3 |
| 1966 | 16.9 | 17.7 |
| 1965 | 16.2 | 17.1 |
| 1964 | 15.5 | 16.5 |
| 1963 | 14.9 | 15.9 |
| 1962 | 14.4 | 15.4 |
| 1961 | 13.9 | 14.8 |
| 1960 | 13.6 | 14.2 |
| 1959 | 13.4 | 13.7 |
| 1958 | 13 | 13.2 |
| 1957 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| 1956 | 12.3 | 12.2 |
| 1955 | 12 | 11.7 |
| 1954 | 11.7 | 11.3 |
| 1953 | 11.5 | 11 |
| 1952 | 11.2 | 10.7 |
| 1951 | 11 | 10.4 |
| 1950 | 10.9 | 10.1 |
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
| Year | Cameroon | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55.9 | 64.6 |
| 2027 | 56.2 | 65.4 |
| 2028 | 56.4 | 66.2 |
| 2029 | 56.7 | 67 |
| 2030 | 56.9 | 67.8 |
| 2031 | 57.1 | 68.6 |
| 2032 | 57.3 | 69.3 |
| 2033 | 57.5 | 70.1 |
| 2034 | 57.7 | 70.9 |
| 2035 | 57.8 | 71.7 |
| 2036 | 58 | 72.5 |
| 2037 | 58.2 | 73.3 |
| 2038 | 58.3 | 74.1 |
| 2039 | 58.4 | 74.9 |
| 2040 | 58.6 | 75.6 |
| 2041 | 58.7 | 76.4 |
| 2042 | 58.8 | 77.2 |
| 2043 | 58.9 | 78 |
| 2044 | 58.9 | 78.8 |
| 2045 | 59 | 79.5 |
| 2046 | 59.1 | 80.3 |
| 2047 | 59.1 | 81.1 |
| 2048 | 59.2 | 81.8 |
| 2049 | 59.2 | 82.6 |
| 2050 | 59.2 | 83.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
- Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Cameroon vs Nigeria
Health
- Life expectancyCameroon: 63.7 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCameroon: 6.5 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCameroon: 47.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionCameroon: 3.75% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateCameroon: 14 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCameroon: 28.4 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthCameroon: 2.64% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCameroon: 4.32 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Median ageCameroon: 17.8 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCameroon: 2.8% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateCameroon: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCameroon: 1.06% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsCameroon: $580M in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personCameroon: $21 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCameroon: 6.5% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCameroon: 34,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerCameroon: 0.16% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCameroon: 0.34% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCameroon: 2 million TIV in 2023Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025