Cameroon’s current account balance rose to −3.3% of GDP in 2024.

Higher is better. A higher balance means Cameroon relies less on outside financing to cover its spending abroad, so a smaller deficit is the better outcome. The latest figure, for 2024, is −3.3% of GDP, against −4.1% a year earlier, an improvement of 0.85 percentage points. Since 2015 the balance has ranged from a low of −4.3% of GDP in 2019 to a high of −2.6% in 2017. The 2024 reading sits in the upper half of that range, nearer the best year than the weakest.

Why it matters. A balance of −3.3% of GDP means Cameroon still takes in less from abroad than it spends there, and the shortfall has to be covered by money from outside the country. Where that money arrives as loans, external debt grows. For firms that import goods, a narrower gap eases pressure on the foreign currency needed to pay for them. For the state, a smaller deficit leaves less to borrow abroad to keep external payments in balance.