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

Health

be 62.5% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 30.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Cameroon, that number is 11.4% of people as of 2016.

live 9.9 years less

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022. In Cameroon, that number is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 76.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

make 61.9% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $12,600 as of 2023, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $4,800 as of 2023.

be 63.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2014.

pay a 2.3 times higher top tax rate

Iraq has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Cameroon, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 53.9% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 50.1% as of 2018. In Cameroon, it is 77.1% as of 2018.

have 46.4% more children

In Iraq, there are approximately 23.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 34.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 5.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iraq, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Cameroon, 438.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Iraq, approximately 19.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Cameroon, on the other hand, 48.7 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 29.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Iraq, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Cameroon, 71% of the population do as of 2022.

be 20.8% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Iraq, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Cameroon, that number is 79% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 31.9% less on education

Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Cameroon spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 25.5% less on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Cameroon, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.9 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.

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.
Read more

How big is Cameroon compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cameroon.or Iraq It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.