Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Cameroon

One in every 135 babies in the world is born here: about 996,297 a year, 1.9 a minute.

Population: 29,879,337
Births a year: 996,297
Life expectancy: 64
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 64.8

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
66.2
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
61.8
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
40.2
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
64.8
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
258
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
2.5
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
6
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
9.6
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
30.2
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
6.8
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.26
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
30
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
93
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
45
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
17
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
62
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$4,946
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
42
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
26.7
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
3.6
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
42
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
57
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
68
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
56
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
72
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
71
World: 91
Internet users (%)
46
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
5.08
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
1.48
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.47
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 35.6 → 2026: 64 → 2050: 69.5

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 283 → 2026: 61 → 2050: 26

World

Children per woman

1960: 5.7 → 2026: 4.2 → 2050: 3

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 14 → 2026: 56 → 2050: 59

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Cameroon comes up about once in every 135 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.