Editing Cameroon (section)

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Cameroon}}
The population of Cameroon was {{UN_Population|Cameroon}} in {{UN_Population|Year}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} The life expectancy was 62.3&nbsp;years (60.6&nbsp;years for males and 64&nbsp;years for females).<ref name="CIA"/>

[[File:GedWomenDay.JPG|thumb|Cameroonian women on Women's Day Celebration, 2015]]
Cameroon has slightly more women (50.5%) than men (49.5%). Over 60% of the population is under age 25. People over 65 years of age account for only 3.11% of the total population.<ref name="CIA" />

Cameroon's population is almost evenly divided between urban and rural dwellers.<ref name="West 3">[[#West|West]] 3.</ref> Population density is highest in the large urban centres, the western highlands, and the northeastern plain.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 109–11.</ref> Douala, Yaoundé, and [[Garoua]] are the largest cities. In contrast, the Adamawa Plateau, southeastern Bénoué depression, and most of the South Cameroon Plateau are sparsely populated.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 111.</ref>

According to the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO), the [[fertility rate]] was 4.8 in 2013 with a population growth rate of 2.56%.<ref name=":1" />

People from the overpopulated western highlands and the underdeveloped north are moving to the coastal plantation zone and urban centres for employment.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 105–6.</ref> Smaller movements are occurring as workers seek employment in lumber mills and plantations in the south and east.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 106.</ref> Although the national sex ratio is relatively even, these out-migrants are primarily males, which leads to unbalanced ratios in some regions.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 103–4.</ref>

[[File:Maison obus.jpg|thumb|The homes of the [[Musgum dwelling units|Musgum]], in the Far North Region, made of earth and grass]]
Both [[monogamy|monogamous]] and [[polygamy|polygamous]] marriage are practised, and the average Cameroonian family is large and extended.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 139.</ref> In the north, women tend to the home, and men herd cattle or work as farmers. In the south, women grow the family's food, and men provide meat and grow cash crops. Cameroonian society is male-dominated, and violence and discrimination against women are common.<ref name="Freedom House"/><ref name="Human Rights Report"/><ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 141.</ref>

The number of distinct ethnic and linguistic groups in Cameroon is estimated to be between 230 and 282.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 65, 67.</ref><ref>[[#West|West]] 13.</ref> The Adamawa Plateau broadly bisects these into northern and southern divisions. The northern peoples are [[Central Sudanic languages|''Sudanic'']] groups, who live in the central highlands and the northern lowlands, and the [[Fula people|Fulani]], who are spread throughout northern Cameroon. A small number of [[Baggara|Shuwa]] Arabs live near Lake Chad. Southern Cameroon is inhabited by speakers of [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] and [[Semi-Bantu]] languages. Bantu-speaking groups inhabit the coastal and equatorial zones, while speakers of Semi-Bantu languages live in the Western grassfields. Some 5,000 Gyele and Baka [[Pygmy peoples]] roam the southeastern and coastal rainforests or live in small, roadside settlements.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 48.</ref> Nigerians make up the largest group of foreign nationals.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 108.</ref> Approximately 14,000 non-Africans live in Cameroon, including more than 6,000 [[French people]] and around 1,000 [[Americans]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/cameroon/10294.htm|title=Cameroon (12/99)}}</ref>

{{Largest cities of Cameroon}}

===Refugees===

{{Main|Refugees in Cameroon}}

In 2007, Cameroon hosted approximately 97,400 refugees and asylum seekers. Of these, 49,300 were from the Central African Republic (many driven west by war),<ref name=RCross/> 41,600 from [[Chad]], and 2,900 from [[Nigeria]].<ref name="World Refugee Survey 2008">{{cite news|title=World Refugee Survey 2008|publisher=U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants|date=19 June 2008|url=http://www.refugees.org/survey/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002225617/http://www.refugees.org/survey/|archive-date=2 October 2008}}</ref> Kidnappings of Cameroonian citizens by Central African bandits have increased since 2005.<ref name="Musa Gunmen"/>

In the first months of 2014, thousands of refugees fleeing the violence in the [[Central African Republic]] arrived in Cameroon.<ref>
{{cite news
| title = Cameroon: Location of Refugees and Main Entry Points (as of 02 May 2014) – Cameroon
| work = [[ReliefWeb]]
| access-date = 8 June 2014
| url = http://reliefweb.int/map/cameroon/cameroon-location-refugees-and-main-entry-points-02-may-2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714220137/http://reliefweb.int/map/cameroon/cameroon-location-refugees-and-main-entry-points-02-may-2014
| archive-date = 14 July 2014
}}
</ref>

On 4 June 2014, AlertNet reported:
{{blockquote|
Almost 90,000 people have fled to neighbouring Cameroon since December and up to 2,000 a week, mostly women and children, are still crossing the border, the United Nations said.

"Women and children are arriving in Cameroon in a shocking state, after weeks, sometimes months, on the road, foraging for food," said [[Ertharin Cousin]], executive director of the [[World Food Programme]] (WFP).<ref>
{{cite web
| last = Nguyen
| first = Katie
| title = Cameroon: Starving, Exhausted CAR Refugees Stream Into Cameroon – UN
| work = allAfrica.com
| access-date = 8 June 2014
| date = 4 June 2014
| url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201406051108.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140610095552/http://allafrica.com/stories/201406051108.html
| archive-date = 10 June 2014
}}
</ref>
}}

===Languages===

{{Further|Languages of Cameroon}}
[[File:Nigeria Benin Cameroon languages.png|thumb|Map of the region's indigenous languages|upright=1.2]]
The official percentage of French and English speakers by the Presidency of Cameroon is estimated to be 70% and 30% respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prc.cm/en/cameroon/presentation|title=Presentation of Cameroon|access-date=29 March 2023|archive-date=29 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329093847/https://www.prc.cm/en/cameroon/presentation|url-status=live}}.</ref> German, the language of the original colonisers, has long since been displaced by French and English. [[Cameroonian Pidgin English]] is the lingua franca in the formerly British-administered territories.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 94.</ref> A mixture of English, French, and Pidgin called [[Camfranglais]] has been gaining popularity in urban centres since the mid-1970s.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 131</ref><ref name=Niba/>

In addition to the official languages, there are approximately 250 other languages spoken by nearly 20&nbsp;million Cameroonians<ref name=":4">Kouega, Jean-Paul. 'The Language Situation in Cameroon', Current Issues in Language Planning, vol. 8/no. 1, (2007), pp. 3–94.</ref> making Cameroon one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=https://www.languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/linguistic-diversity-in-africa-and-europe.html|title=Linguistic diversity in Africa and Europe – Languages Of The World|date=16 June 2011|website=languagesoftheworld.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515155945/http://www.languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/linguistic-diversity-in-africa-and-europe.html|archive-date=15 May 2012|access-date=4 July 2019|last=Pereltsvaig|first=Asya}}</ref>

In 2017, there were language protests by the Anglophone population against perceived oppression by francophone speakers.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://calrev.org/2019/02/11/african-powder-keg-cameroonian-conflict-and-african-security/|title=African Powder Keg: Cameroonian Conflict and African Security|last=Genin|first=Aaron|date=11 February 2019|website=The California Review|language=en-US|access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref> The military was deployed against the protesters and people were killed, hundreds imprisoned and thousands fled the country.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/03/deaths-and-detentions-as-cameroon-cracks-down-on-anglophone-activists Deaths and detentions as Cameroon cracks down on anglophone activists] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103125739/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/03/deaths-and-detentions-as-cameroon-cracks-down-on-anglophone-activists |date=3 January 2018}} ''The Guardian'', 2018</ref> This culminated in the declaration of an independent [[Republic of Ambazonia]],<ref>Ani, Kelechi Johnmary, Gabriel Tiobo Wose Kinge, and Victor Ojakorotu. "Political crisis, protests and implications on nation building in Cameroon." African Renaissance 15.Special Issue 1 (2018): 121–139.</ref> which has since evolved into the [[Anglophone Crisis]].<ref name=":3" /> It is estimated that by June 2020, 740,000 people had been internally displaced as a result of this crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/cameroon/cameroon-humanitarian-dashboard-january-june-2020|title=Relief Web Humanitarian Dashboard|date=11 November 2020|access-date=11 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810211913/https://reliefweb.int/report/cameroon/cameroon-humanitarian-dashboard-january-june-2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Cameroon}}
{{bar box
|title=[[Religion in Cameroon]] (2022 estimate by the [[The World Factbook|CIA]])<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |title=Religion |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cameroon/ |access-date=22 May 2024 |date=9 August 2023}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Roman Catholicism in Cameroon|Catholicism]]|yellow|33.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Protestantism]]|blue|27.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam in Cameroon|Islam]]|green|30.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|None]]|black|1.2}}
{{bar percent|[[African traditional religion|Folk]]|red|1.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Freedom of religion|Other, including other Christian]]|gray|6.7}}
}}

Cameroon has a high level of [[Religion in Cameroon|religious freedom]] and diversity.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> The majority faith is [[Christianity]], practised by about two-thirds of the population, while [[Islam]] is a significant minority faith, adhered to by about one-fourth. In addition, traditional faiths are practised by many. Muslims are most concentrated in the north, while Christians are concentrated primarily in the southern and western regions, but practitioners of both faiths can be found throughout the country.<ref name=IRFR>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168393.htm|title=July–December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report – Cameroon|publisher=US Department of State|date=8 April 2011|access-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105101810/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168393.htm|archive-date=5 November 2011|url-status=live}}<!--note that this is outdated; the CIA Factbook is from 2018--></ref> Large cities have significant populations of both groups.<ref name=IRFR/> Muslims in Cameroon are divided into [[Sufis]], [[Salafi]]s,<ref name="The Economist">{{cite news|title=The veil in west Africa: Banning the burqa: Why more countries are outlawing the full-face veil|url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21692902-why-more-countries-are-outlawing-full-face-veil-banning-burqa|access-date=15 February 2016|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=13 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214211305/http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21692902-why-more-countries-are-outlawing-full-face-veil-banning-burqa|archive-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> [[Shia]]s, and [[non-denominational Muslims]].<ref name="The Economist"/><ref>Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2013</ref>

[[File:Yaoundé_Cathédrale.jpg|left|thumb|[[Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, Yaoundé|Our Lady of Victories Cathedral]], a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Church in [[Yaoundé]]]]

People from the North-West and South-West provinces, which used to be a part of [[British Cameroons]], have the highest proportion of Protestants. The French-speaking regions of the southern and western regions are largely Catholic.<ref name=IRFR/> Southern ethnic groups predominantly follow Christian or traditional African [[animist]] beliefs or a [[syncretic]] combination of the two. People widely believe in witchcraft, and the government outlaws such practices.<ref name=Geschiere/> Suspected witches are often subject to mob violence.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> The Islamist jihadist group [[Ansar ul Islam (Western Africa)|Ansar al-Islam]] has been reported as operating in North Cameroon.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22538888 Boko Haram timeline: From preachers to slave raiders] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114221630/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22538888 |date=14 November 2018}}. BBC News. 15 May 2013. retrieved 19 June 2013</ref>

In the northern regions, the locally dominant [[Fulani]] ethnic group is almost completely Muslim, but the overall population is fairly evenly divided among Muslims, Christians, and followers of indigenous religious beliefs (called ''[[Kirdi]]'' ("pagan") by the Fulani).<ref name=IRFR/> The [[Bamum people|Bamum]] ethnic group of the West Region is largely Muslim.<ref name=IRFR/> Native traditional religions are practised in rural areas throughout the country but rarely are practised publicly in cities, in part because many indigenous religious groups are intrinsically local.<ref name=IRFR/>

===Education and health===
{{main|Education in Cameroon|Health in Cameroon}}
[[File:Cameroonian school children gather around U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Reid, center, for a group photo near Douala, Cameroon, March 19, 2014, during Central Accord 14 140319-A-PP104-039.jpg|thumb|School children in Cameroon in 2014]]
In 2013, the total adult [[literacy]] rate in Cameroon was estimated to be 71.3%. Among youths aged 15–24, the literacy rate was 85.4% for males and 76.4% for females.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cameroon_statistics.html|title=Statistics|work=UNICEF|access-date=4 February 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224101348/https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cameroon_statistics.html|archive-date=24 December 2017}}</ref> Most children have access to state-run schools that are cheaper than private and religious facilities.<ref name="Mbaku 15">[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 15.</ref> The educational system is a mixture of British and French precedents,<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 105–6.</ref> with most instruction in English or French.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 16.</ref>

Cameroon has one of the highest school attendance rates in Africa.<ref name="Mbaku 15" /> Girls attend school less regularly than boys do because of cultural attitudes, domestic duties, early marriage, pregnancy, and sexual harassment. Although attendance rates are higher in the south,<ref name="Mbaku 15"/> a disproportionate number of teachers are stationed there, leaving northern schools chronically understaffed.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> In 2013, the primary school enrollment rate was 93.5%.<ref name=":0" />

School attendance in Cameroon is also affected by [[child labour]]. Indeed, the [[United States Department of Labor]] Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor reported that 56% of children aged 5 to 14 were working children and that almost 53% of children aged 7 to 14 combined work and school.<ref>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/cameroon.htm 2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor -Cameroon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303052129/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/cameroon.htm |date=3 March 2015 }}. Dol.gov. Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref> In December 2014, a ''[[List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor]]'' issued by the [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]] mentioned Cameroon among the countries that resorted to child labor in the production of cocoa.<ref>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/ List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610003351/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/ |date=10 June 2015}}. Dol.gov. Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref>

[[File:Life expectancy of Cameroon.svg|thumb|Life expectancy in Cameroon|upright=1.2]]

The quality of health care is generally low.<ref name = "yqheor">[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 21.</ref> Life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 56 years in 2012, with 48 healthy life years expected.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/gho/countries/cmr.pdf?ua=1|title=Cameroon: WHO Statistical Profile|date=January 2015|website=World Health Organization|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321113025/http://www.who.int/gho/countries/cmr.pdf?ua=1|archive-date=21 March 2017}}</ref> Fertility rate remains high in Cameroon with an average of 4.8 births per woman and an average mother's age of 19.7 years old at first birth.<ref name=":1" /> In Cameroon, there is only one doctor for every 5,000 people, according to the WHO.<ref>{{cite news|title=3 medical marvels saving lives|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/17/health/cnnheroes-medical-marvels/index.html|access-date=18 November 2013|newspaper=CNN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131122034216/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/17/health/cnnheroes-medical-marvels/index.html|archive-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> In 2014, just 4.1% of total GDP expenditure was allocated to healthcare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=cameroon|title=UNdata {{!}} country profile {{!}} Cameroon|website=data.un.org|access-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104003329/http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=cameroon|archive-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> Due to financial cuts in the health care system, there are few professionals. Doctors and nurses who were trained in Cameroon emigrate because in Cameroon the payment is poor while the workload is high. Nurses are unemployed even though their help is needed. Some of them help out voluntarily so they will not lose their skills.<ref>{{cite web |title=The need is so great |author=Rose Futrih N. Njini |publisher=D+C Development and Cooperation/ dandc.eu |date=December 2012 |url=http://www.dandc.eu/en/article/cameroon-too-many-nurses-and-doctors-lack-perspective |access-date=27 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624235243/http://www.dandc.eu/en/article/cameroon-too-many-nurses-and-doctors-lack-perspective |archive-date=24 June 2013}}</ref> Outside the major cities, facilities are often dirty and poorly equipped.<ref name="West 64">[[#West|West]] 64.</ref>

In 2012, the top three deadly diseases were [[HIV/AIDS]], [[lower respiratory tract infection]], and [[diarrhea]]l diseases.<ref name=":1" /> Endemic diseases include [[dengue fever]], [[filariasis]], [[leishmaniasis]], [[malaria]], [[meningitis]], [[schistosomiasis]], and [[African trypanosomiasis|sleeping sickness]].<ref>[[#West|West]] 58–60.</ref> The [[HIV]]/[[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] prevalence rate in 2016 was estimated at 3.8% for those aged 15–49,<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/cameroon|title=Cameroon|website=www.unaids.org|access-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223042316/http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/cameroon|archive-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> although a strong stigma against the illness keeps the number of reported cases artificially low.<ref name = "yqheor"/> 46,000 children under age 14 were estimated to be living with HIV in 2016. In Cameroon, 58% of those living with HIV know their status, and just 37% receive [[Management of HIV/AIDS|ARV]] treatment. In 2016, 29,000 deaths due to AIDS occurred in both adults and children.<ref name=":2" />

[[Breast ironing]], a traditional practice that is prevalent in Cameroon, may affect girls' health.<ref>Joe, Randy. (23 June 2006) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm Africa | Cameroon girls battle 'breast ironing'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211233459/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm |date=11 February 2007}}. BBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01pgpzf BBC World Service – Outlook, Fighting 'Breast Ironing' in Cameroon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120111044/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01pgpzf |date=20 January 2014}}. Bbc.co.uk (16 January 2014). Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.channel4.com/news/breast-ironing-fgm-victim-girls-chest-cameroon-uk Campaigners warn of 'breast ironing' in the UK – Channel 4 News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820113942/http://www.channel4.com/news/breast-ironing-fgm-victim-girls-chest-cameroon-uk |date=20 August 2014 }}. Channel4.com (18 April 2014). Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref><ref>Bawe, Rosaline Ngunshi (24 August 2011) [http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/HarmfulPractices/GenderEmpowermentandDevelopment.pdf Breast Ironing: A harmful traditional practice in Cameroon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226024853/http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/HarmfulPractices/GenderEmpowermentandDevelopment.pdf |date=26 February 2015}}. Gender Empowerment and Development(GeED)</ref> [[Female genital mutilation]] (FGM), while not widespread, is practised among some populations; according to a 2013 UNICEF report,<ref name="UNICEF2013p27">[http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf UNICEF 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405083031/http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf |date=5 April 2015 }}, p. 27.</ref> 1% of women in Cameroon have undergone FGM. Also impacting women's and girls' health, the contraceptive prevalence rate is estimated to be just 34.4% in 2014. [[Traditional medicine|Traditional healers]] remain a popular alternative to [[evidence-based medicine]].<ref name="Lantum" />

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Cameroon ranks 79th out of 127 countries with sufficient data. Cameroon's GHI score is 18.3, which is considered moderate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>
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