Education in South-West, Cameroon: official figures
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).
Are primary classrooms in the South-West region overcrowded?
There were 30 primary pupils per classroom in the South-West region in 2021/22 (4th lowest of the 10 regions; Cameroon: 44), and 86% of classrooms were built in permanent materials (Cameroon: 85%).
Source: Institut National de la Statistique with the education ministries (SIGE school census) · saved copyDo girls go to secondary school in the South-West region?
General secondary schools in the South-West region taught 76,059 students in 2021/22, with 157 girls for every 100 boys, the highest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 101), and 17 students per teacher (Cameroon: 22).
Source: Institut National de la Statistique with the education ministries (SIGE school census) · saved copyWhat is the literacy rate in the South-West region?
94.7% of women aged 15 to 49 in the South-West region could read in 2018, 2nd highest of the 10 regions (Cameroon: 70.1%). 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 children in the South-West region go to school?
58.7% of primary-age children in the South-West region attended primary school in 2018, the joint lowest of the 12 survey areas (Cameroon: 77.5%). 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 South-West compares with other regions
Primary pupils per teacher (2021/22)
South-West ranks 8 of 10, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Primary pupils per teacher |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | East | 62 |
| 5 | West | 46 |
| 6 | South | 38 |
| 7 | Centre | 30 |
| 8 | South-West | 29 |
| 9 | Littoral | 27 |
| 10 | North-West | 23 |
Women aged 15-49 who can read (2018)
South-West ranks 2 of 10, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Women aged 15-49 who can read |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Littoral | 95.4% |
| 2 | South-West | 94.7% |
| 3 | Centre | 91.3% |
| 4 | South | 90.0% |
| 5 | West | 88.4% |
| 6 | North-West | 74.7% |
| 7 | East | 64.7% |
More on South-West: overview · economy and jobs · Cameroon
Sources
- 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 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…)
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