People using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon
Cameroon: People using improved drinking water sources was 2.72 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, people using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon stood at 2.72 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon peaked at 4.07 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.72 million people, in 2024.
Cameroon ranks 25th of 231 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.07 million people | — |
| 2001 | 4.05 million people | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 4.03 million people | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 4.00 million people | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 3.98 million people | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 3.95 million people | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 3.91 million people | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 3.88 million people | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 3.84 million people | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 3.81 million people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 3.76 million people | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 3.72 million people | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 3.67 million people | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 3.61 million people | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 3.56 million people | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 3.51 million people | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 3.45 million people | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 3.38 million people | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 3.30 million people | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 3.22 million people | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 3.13 million people | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 3.03 million people | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 2.93 million people | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 2.83 million people | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 2.72 million people | -3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.95 million people | 3.81 million people | 4.07 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.52 million people | 3.22 million people | 3.76 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.93 million people | 2.72 million people | 3.13 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More environment data for Cameroon
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.68 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.211 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.15 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate 14 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per capita 0.0001 m3 per person (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate 16.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon?
- People using improved drinking water sources in Cameroon was 2.72 million people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 4.07 million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.72 million people in 2024.
- How does Cameroon rank for people using improved drinking water sources?
- Cameroon ranks 25th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using only unimproved drinking water sources.