Cameroon’s primary school enrolment was 92.9% net in 2017.

Higher is better. A higher ratio means more children of the right age are in a classroom building basic reading and number skills at the proper time. The latest figure, 92.9% net in 2017, is down 1.6 percentage points from 94.5% net a year earlier. Since 1990 the ratio has ranged from 71.2% net in 1991 to 94.5% net in 2016, so the latest reading sits just below the top of its range, after the highest level of the period.

Why it matters. At 92.9% net, the large majority of Cameroonian children of primary age are enrolled, and the remainder are still outside the classroom, where they miss the early years of schooling. For the state, a dip from the 2016 peak means the school system needs enough places and teachers to bring those children back in while keeping the rest enrolled. Households with a child outside school carry the cost of that lost time.