South-West: population, poverty, health, schools, businesses and prices
South-West is a region of Cameroon, number 7 of 10 by population. The National Institute of Statistics projected the population of the South-West region at 2,098,488 for 2025 (7.1% of Cameroon's 29.44 million); 4th smallest of the 10 regions. This is a projection from the 2005 census, the latest census with published results.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in South-West: The 2023 General Census of Enterprises counted 27,992 businesses and establishments in the South-West region, 6.4% of Cameroon's 438,893, up from 14,709 in 2016 (+90.3%; Cameroon: +109.5%).
- Education in South-West: Primary schools in the South-West region had 195,011 pupils and 6,623 teachers in 2021/22, 29 pupils per teacher, 3rd lowest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 43).
How fast is the population of the South-West region growing?
The projections have South-West's population growing from 1,738,036 in 2016 to 2,098,488 in 2025, about 2.1% a year (Cameroon: 2.5%).
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (INS) and Ministry of Public Health (MINSANTE) · saved copyHow many children do women in the South-West region have?
Women in the South-West region had 2.6 children each on average in the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey, the lowest of the 12 survey areas (Cameroon: 4.8). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyWhat is the poverty rate in the South-West region?
20.4% of people in the South-West region lived below the national poverty line (813 CFA francs a day per person) in 2022, according to ECAM5, the national household survey; 5th lowest of the 12 survey areas (Cameroon: 37.7%).
Source: Institut National de la Statistique · saved copyHow many poor households are there in the South-West region?
0.0% of people in the South-West region lived in households in the poorest fifth nationally by assets and housing in 2018, the lowest of the 10 regions (by design, 20% nationally). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyDo people in the South-West region have enough to eat?
40.2% of women aged 15 to 49 in the South-West region faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2018, and 13.9% severe food insecurity; 2nd lowest of the 10 regions for moderate or severe (Cameroon: 47.2% and 16.2%). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow common is domestic violence in the South-West region?
26.2% of married or formerly married women in the South-West region had suffered emotional, physical or sexual violence from a husband or partner in the past 12 months, 3rd lowest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 31.5%). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow many children in the South-West region are malnourished?
27.9% of children under five in the South-West region were stunted (too short for their age, a sign of chronic undernutrition) in 2018, 5th highest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 28.9%). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyDo women in the South-West region give birth in a health facility?
99.4% of births in the South-West region in the five years before the 2018 survey took place in a health facility, the highest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 67.0%). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow common is malaria in the South-West region?
9.8% of children aged 6 to 59 months in the South-West region tested positive for malaria (rapid test) in 2018, 2nd lowest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 24.0%). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyWhat is the HIV rate in the South-West region?
3.2% of women and men aged 15 to 49 tested in the South-West region were HIV-positive in 2018, 5th highest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 2.7%). The survey could not cover the whole South-West region for security reasons, so its figures mainly reflect towns.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (with ICF, The DHS Program) · saved copyHow regions are governed in Cameroon
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.
Every tier of government in Cameroon
Other regions of Cameroon
- Far North 5,499,114
- Centre 5,487,641
- Littoral 4,498,870
- North 3,485,915
- North-West 2,428,173
- West 2,232,844
- Adamawa 1,541,773
- East 1,283,771
- South 885,738
Up a level: Cameroon · government and power in Cameroon
Sources
- 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…)
- 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 (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: 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…)
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