Homicides in Cameroon
Cameroon: Homicides was 1,640 deaths in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
1,640 deaths
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
47th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1,852 deaths
in 2009
All-time low
1,477 deaths
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicides in Cameroon, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Cameroon stood at 1,640 deaths.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Cameroon peaked at 1,852 deaths in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1,477 deaths, in 2000.
That places Cameroon 47th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Homicides in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,477 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 1,568 deaths | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 1,654 deaths | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 1,704 deaths | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 1,737 deaths | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 1,759 deaths | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 1,755 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 1,761 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1,781 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 1,852 deaths | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 1,833 deaths | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 1,814 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 1,799 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 1,727 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 1,644 deaths | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 1,640 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1,659 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1,676 deaths | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1,676 deaths | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 1,666 deaths | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 1,653 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 1,640 deaths | -0.8% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 1,640 deaths is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 743.83 deaths, 2.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 1,640 deaths is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 971.62 deaths, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,705 deaths | 1,477 deaths | 1,852 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,713 deaths | 1,640 deaths | 1,833 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,646 deaths | 1,640 deaths | 1,653 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More social development data for Cameroon
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 408,613 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 140,366 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0047 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 140,366 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0137 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Cameroon?
- Homicides in Cameroon was 1,640 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 1,852 deaths in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,477 deaths in 2000.
- How does Cameroon rank for homicides?
- Cameroon ranks 47th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.