Cameroun at a glance
Government type: Republic; strong central government dominated by president
Languages: French and English (official), 270 African languages
Ethnic groups: Western Highlanders (including Bamileke, Bamoun, and others) 38%; Coastal Tropical Forest People (including Bassa, Douala, and others) 12%; Southern Tropical Forest People (including Ewondo, Bulu, Fang, Maka, and Bakas) 18%; Islamic (including Sahel and Fulani) 14%; and Kirdi 18%
Religious beliefs: Indigenous Beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Economy (% of GDP): Agriculture 44%; 16% Industry; 40% Services
Total population: 18.5 million
Percent of the population under the age of 15: 42%
Urban population: 57%
Life expectancy: 52 years

Focus on reproductive health
Total fertility rate (average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime): 4.7
Contraceptive prevalence rate (among married women aged 15-49): 13% (modern methods), 26% (all methods)
A Woman’s Lifetime Risk of Dying from Maternal Causes: 1 in 24
Percent of births attended by skilled health personnel: 63%*
In Cameroun abortion is legal to save the life of the woman or protect her physical health. It is also legal in instances of rape.

Focus on young people
Percentage of females ages 15-19 who have ever been married: 33%
Percentage of females who have given birth by age 18: 33%
Condom use by young people (15-24) at higher risk sex (2000-2006): Males 57%, Females 46%**

Focus on HIV/AIDS***
Adults 15+ living with HIV (2007): 500,000
Women 15+ living with HIV (2007): 300,000
Women 15+ as a percentage of all adults 15+ living with HIV (2007): 60.0%
Adult (15-49) prevalence rate (2007): 5.1%
Young women (15-24) HIV prevalence rate (2007): 4.3%
Young men (15-24) HIV prevalence rate (2007): 1.2%
HIV prevalence rate among female sex workers in capital city (Yaoundé, 2004): 26.4%

Focus on gender
Literacy rate for women (ages 15-24): 88%
Literacy rate for men (ages 15-24): 92%
From 1995-2002, 48% of females ages 15+ were economically active compared to 86% of males ages 15+
Expected number of years of formal female schooling: 10*
Ratio of estimated female to male earned income: .49*
Participation of women in national government (% seats held by women): 14%*

Source: Population Reference Bureau, www.prb.org

*Save the Children, State of the World’s Mothers 2008: Closing the Survival Gap for Children Under 5, May 2008.
http://www.savethechildren.org/campaigns/state-of-the-worlds-mothers-report/2008

**World Health Organization, World Health Statistics 2008, May 2008.
http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2008/en/index.html

*** UNAIDS, 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, July 2008.
www.unaids.org