Regions of Cameroon: population and official figures
Cameroon is divided into 10 regions. The largest by population is Far North with 5,499,114 people (18.7% of the total); the smallest is South with 885,738. Population figures are projections for 2025 by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and the Ministry of Public Health, made from the 2005 census, the latest census with published results. Each region page adds poverty from the ECAM5 household survey (2022), businesses from the 2023 General Census of Enterprises, consumer prices in each regional capital (2025-2026), schools from the 2021/22 school census, and health, water and living standards from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey. Surveys publish Yaoundé and Douala separately; Centre and Littoral figures recombine them with the rest of each region where the survey gives the population weights.
Who governs Cameroon's regions?
Regions (10): Regional council (90 councillors, five-year term) chosen indirectly; council elects a regional president. A governor appointed by the president represents the state.. Regional development, some education, health and sport functions; first regional councils took office after the December 2020 regional elections.
How local power works in Cameroon · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 10 regions, largest first
| # | Region | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Far North | 5,499,114 | 2025 | +3.0% |
| 2 | Centre | 5,487,641 | 2025 | +2.5% |
| 3 | Littoral | 4,498,870 | 2025 | +2.4% |
| 4 | North | 3,485,915 | 2025 | +3.1% |
| 5 | North-West | 2,428,173 | 2025 | +1.2% |
| 6 | West | 2,232,844 | 2025 | +1.1% |
| 7 | South-West | 2,098,488 | 2025 | +2.0% |
| 8 | Adamawa | 1,541,773 | 2025 | +2.7% |
| 9 | East | 1,283,771 | 2025 | +2.3% |
| 10 | South | 885,738 | 2025 | +1.7% |
More on Cameroon: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- Institut National de la Statistique (INS) and Ministry of Public Health (MINSANTE): Projections démographiques et estimations des cibles prioritaires des différents programmes et interventions de santé, 2016-2025 (Tableaux 12-24: population by region and year), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a6b4012f1b22…)
- Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program): Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Cameroun 2018 (EDSC-V), final report: regional tables 2.1.2, 2.3.2, 2.6, 2.13, 3.3.1, 3.13, 5.2, 8.2-8.3, 9.5, 10.3, 11.1, 12.15, 14.4, 17.10.1, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2fd029d9c33…)
- Institut National de la Statistique: Fifth Cameroon Household Survey (ECAM5): Situation of household living conditions in 2021-2022, policy brief (Figure 4: income poverty rate by survey region, 2022), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d0d09e4798f8…)
- Institut National de la Statistique with the education ministries (SIGE school census): Annuaire statistique sectoriel 2021-2022 de l'éducation et de la formation (key figures by region: primary VI.1, general secondary IX.1), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fe339187a8b4…)
- Institut National de la Statistique: 3rd General Census of Enterprises (RGE3), main report: businesses by region 2009-2023, turnover by region 2022, permanent jobs by region 2022, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 62895f181cfb…)
- Institut National de la Statistique: Note sur les prix au Cameroun en décembre 2025 (consumer price index by regional capital; inflation in 2025), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c55e0a546c1…)
- Institut National de la Statistique: Note sur les prix au Cameroun en juillet 2026 (consumer price index by regional capital), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9dc29d67ea92…)
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