Society · Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Cameroon
Cameroon’s poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) was 26.7% of population in 2021.
26.7% of population
2021Derived
Down 2.3 pp from 2014.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
26.7% of population
What it is. This measure counts the share of Cameroon's people living below a very low daily spending line, with prices set to 2021 purchasing power parity so that the line buys a comparable basket of goods across countries. The World Bank models it from household surveys and interpolates or extrapolates between survey years, so figures for years without a survey are estimates. A single line counts everyone below it equally, whether they sit just under it or far under it.
Lower is better. A lower share means fewer people cannot afford basic needs on a daily budget, so a falling figure is good news. The latest figure is 26.7% of population, for 2021. That is the lowest since 1996, when the figure stood at 56.5% of population. The 2021 reading therefore sits at the bottom of its own range.
Why it matters. At 26.7% of population, a large share of Cameroonian households still live below this daily line. A rise in food prices or an unexpected medical bill can push these households into hardship. Firms selling to the domestic market face limited spending power among these customers, and the state has a sizeable group to reach with social support. Because the 2021 value is a modelled estimate, a newer household survey is the check on whether the decline has continued.
| Period | Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Cameroon |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 56.5% of population |
| 2001 | 30.8% of population |
| 2007 | 36% of population |
| 2014 | 29% of population |
| 2021 | 26.7% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
How to read this number
- Source
- Who published the figure
- Published
- When they released it
- Verified
- When we last checked it against the source
Every change is logged in Corrections. How the figure is made: Methodology.
Cite this number
Show text
Strata-AF™ Data, Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day), Cameroon, 2021; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/poverty-headcount/cameroon
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
Strata AI commentary is coming — reviewed, dated, and generated only from the figures on this page.
Methodology
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). A World Bank modelled estimate from household surveys, interpolated or extrapolated between survey years; not an official national release.
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). Unit: % of population.
This is a World Bank modelled estimate. It is built from household surveys and interpolated or extrapolated between survey years. It is not an official national release, and every value carries the Derived label.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SI.POV.DDAY), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.