Varieties of democracy in Cameroon
Cameroon: Varieties of democracy was 0.26 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Varieties of democracy in Cameroon, 1961–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for varieties of democracy in Cameroon is 0.26, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.1% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Cameroon peaked at 0.326 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.157, in 1966.
That places Cameroon 124th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Varieties of democracy in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.162 | — |
| 1962 | 0.162 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.162 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.16 | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 0.16 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.157 | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.158 | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.157 | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 0.162 | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 0.162 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.169 | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 0.177 | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 0.177 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.179 | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 0.179 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.179 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.179 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.179 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.245 | +36.9% |
| 1991 | 0.263 | +7.3% |
| 1992 | 0.288 | +9.5% |
| 1993 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.287 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.289 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 0.292 | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.292 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.304 | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 0.304 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.306 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 0.309 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 0.312 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.315 | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.315 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.314 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.311 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.311 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.314 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.317 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.321 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.319 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.326 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 0.324 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.307 | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 0.298 | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 0.293 | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.28 | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 0.285 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.282 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.291 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 0.279 | -4.1% |
| 2024 | 0.277 | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 0.26 | -6.1% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 0.26 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 75% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 0.26 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 82% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Varieties of democracy in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +36.9% | 0.179 | 0.245 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1593 | 0.157 | 0.162 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.1574 | 0.157 | 0.158 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1742 | 0.162 | 0.179 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2819 | 0.245 | 0.292 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3101 | 0.304 | 0.315 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3099 | 0.28 | 0.326 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.279 | 0.26 | 0.291 | 6 |
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 varieties of democracy in Cameroon?
- Varieties of democracy in Cameroon was 0.26 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 0.326 in 2014.
- What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.157 in 1966.
- How does Cameroon rank for varieties of democracy?
- Cameroon ranks 124th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.