Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest on living wage and income  
Need help?

Cameroon

World bank, 2014
Poverty headcount ratio at $3.65 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population)
47%
Population below international poverty line

Equivalent to 36,270 Central African francs per worker per month.
WageIndicator Foundation, 2023

55
per month
National minimum wage

Equivalent to 116,007 Central African francs per worker per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2022

177
per month
Rural living wage

Equivalent to 169,012 Central African francs for a typical family in rural Cameroon per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2022

258
per month
Rural living income
World bank, 2019
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
43%
Agricultural workforce
World bank, 2021
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP)
17%
Agriculture share of GDP

ITUC Global Rights Index, 2022
Systematic violation of rights.

4
high
Risk to workers' rights

Context

Cameroon has a population of approximately 25.9 million people.[1] The country is relatively equally populated in its urban and rural regions, which account for 57%[2] and 43%[3] of the population respectively. Agriculture is a significant source of employment for the country as it assumes 43% of the workforce.[4] The sector represents 15% of the national GDP.[5]

Cameroon’s agricultural sector is key for its economy as it employs almost half of the national workforce. Smallholder farmers dominate the sector and there are roughly 2 million small family farms in the country. Nevertheless, these farms are highly dependent on manual labor with minimal or even no other inputs whatsoever. In general, rural areas face significant issues of poverty, especially in the northern regions of the country. However, although Cameroon is fully capable of meeting its food demand and address its rural development issues, the poor quality of commercial farming has the country depended on food imports instead.[6]

The top produced commodities in Cameroon are cassava, plantains, maize, palm oil fruit and taro (cocoyam).[7] Cameroon’s top export commodities in terms of quantity are cocoa beans, bananas, cotton lint, natural rubber and green coffee.[8]

Footnotes
  1. ^ World Bank (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=CM
  2. ^ World Bank (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=CM
  3. ^ World Bank (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=CM
  4. ^ World Bank (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=CM
  5. ^ World Bank (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=CM
  6. ^ [6] IFAD. Country Profiles: Cameroon. https://www.ifad.org/en/web/operations/country/id/cameroon
  7. ^ FAOSTAT (2019). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country
  8. ^ FAOSTAT (2019). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country_exports

Wages

Minimum wage

The minimum wage in Cameroon is set by law at 36,270 Central African francs (55 EUR) per month, value established in 2014[1] However, employers tend to bargain with workers for lower salaries, taking advantage of the country’s high unemployment rate. Therefore, salaries below the minimum wage are a common issue in Cameroon. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in sectors where unskilled labor is needed, such as the public works and the domestic sector. In addition, the government’s health and safety regulations do not include the informal sector, while health and medical coverage for employees, which is mandatory by law, is not enforced.[2]

 

The Global Living Wage Coalition has developed 2 Reference Value studies for rural Cameroon based on the Anker methodology, one for living wage and one for living income.

Footnotes
  1. ^ Wage Indicator Foundation (2023). Minimum Wage-Cameroon. https://wageindicator.org/salary/minimum-wage/cameroon
  2. ^ U.S. Department of State. 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Cameroon. https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/

Living wage

The Anker Living Wage Reference Value in rural Cameroon is estimated at 116,007 Central African francs (177 EUR) per month. This is the wage required for workers in a typical rural area of Cameroon to afford a basic but decent standard of living. The living wage estimate is almost 3 times higher than the national minimum wage, 74% higher when compared to the average rural wage and 40% higher than the national poverty line wage.[1]

Footnotes
  1. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2022). Anker Living Wage Reference Value: Rural Cameroon 2020. https://globallivingwage.org/living-wage-reference-value-rural-cameroon/

Living income

The Anker Living Income Reference Value is estimated at 169,012 Central African francs (258 EUR). This value represents the amount a typical family in rural Cameroon needs to cover the monthly cost of a basic but decent standard of living. The estimate is 2.5 times higher than the income of a family which earns the national minimum wage. When it is compared to the income of a family whose members earn the average agricultural wage, however, the estimate is only 16% higher. This is due to the average rural wage in Cameroon being partly based on skilled and highly-paid workers. Therefore, in reality, the actual rural wages are significantly lower than the average rural wage, making the real gap to the living income estimate much larger.[1]

Footnotes
  1. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2020). Anker Living Income Reference Value: Rural Cameroon 2020. https://globallivingwage.org/living-income-reference-value-rural-cameroon/

What's happening

resource

Living Wage Reference Value, Rural Cameroon

Living wage estimate for workers to be able to afford a basic but decent living standard in a typical rural area of Cameroon.

resource

Living Income Reference Value, Rural Cameroon

Living income estimate for a typical family in rural Cameroon to cover the monthly cost of a basic but decent standard of living.

resource

Workers’ Health and Labour Income in Cameroon

This report by IZA explores the relationship between health and income by studying self-employed and wage-earning workers in Cameroon.

resource

Land Tenure Security in Cameroon

This report by AERC deals with the tenure insecurity issues Cameroonian farmers face and its effects on agricultural productivity.

resource

Cameroon’s Cocoa Value Chain Analysis

An EU study which presents an overview of Cameroon’s cocoa value chain, aiming to create useful knowledge for policy discussion and business operations.

Learned enough?