Merchandise trade in Cameroon
Cameroon: Merchandise trade was 24.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Cameroon, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Cameroon is 24.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Cameroon peaked at 44.7% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 1988.
Cameroon ranks 189th of 204 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29.5% | — |
| 1961 | 29.7% | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 29.5% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 36.6% | +24.0% |
| 1964 | 31.0% | -15.2% |
| 1965 | 34.1% | +10.0% |
| 1966 | 30.8% | -9.9% |
| 1967 | 31.8% | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 36.0% | +13.2% |
| 1969 | 39.0% | +8.2% |
| 1970 | 40.7% | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 37.0% | -8.9% |
| 1972 | 35.0% | -5.5% |
| 1973 | 36.1% | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 42.4% | +17.4% |
| 1975 | 36.6% | -13.7% |
| 1976 | 38.8% | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 42.4% | +9.3% |
| 1978 | 39.8% | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 40.7% | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 44.7% | +10.0% |
| 1981 | 38.3% | -14.4% |
| 1982 | 34.4% | -10.2% |
| 1983 | 32.0% | -6.9% |
| 1984 | 27.3% | -14.7% |
| 1985 | 21.9% | -19.8% |
| 1986 | 21.0% | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 19.4% | -7.6% |
| 1988 | 18.0% | -7.2% |
| 1989 | 26.7% | +48.6% |
| 1990 | 27.6% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 25.4% | -8.1% |
| 1992 | 24.9% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 18.4% | -25.8% |
| 1994 | 28.9% | +56.4% |
| 1995 | 26.2% | -9.1% |
| 1996 | 27.0% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 29.8% | +10.5% |
| 1998 | 28.0% | -6.1% |
| 1999 | 25.2% | -9.9% |
| 2000 | 31.4% | +24.6% |
| 2001 | 32.9% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 29.5% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 27.8% | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 25.9% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 28.7% | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 32.2% | +12.1% |
| 2007 | 37.1% | +15.5% |
| 2008 | 39.4% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 28.6% | -27.4% |
| 2010 | 32.8% | +14.5% |
| 2011 | 36.9% | +12.8% |
| 2012 | 35.8% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 33.1% | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 31.4% | -10.1% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | -19.8% |
| 2017 | 22.2% | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 23.7% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 26.9% | +13.6% |
| 2020 | 21.2% | -21.1% |
| 2021 | 25.1% | +18.3% |
| 2022 | 30.3% | +20.9% |
| 2023 | 27.0% | -11.2% |
| 2024 | 25.5% | -5.3% |
| 2025 | 24.6% | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.8% | 29.5% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.9% | 35.0% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.4% | 18.0% | 44.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.2% | 18.4% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.4% | 25.9% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.3% | 22.2% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.6% | 21.2% | 30.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More private sector data for Cameroon
- Food imports 21.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 51.6% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 9.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 22.8% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 6.0% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 5.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 170.69 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0865 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -4.92 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 314.6 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Cameroon?
- Merchandise trade in Cameroon was 24.6% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 1980.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 1988.
- How does Cameroon rank for merchandise trade?
- Cameroon ranks 189th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.