Cameroon's population is estimated at 23.3 million, up substantially from the 2002 census population of 17.4 million. This makes Cameroon the 54th most populous country in the world. The country is sparsely populated, however, with just 40 people per square kilometer (103/square mile), which ranks 167th in the world. The urbanization rate is currently 3.3%; 58% of the country is urbanized and that percentage continues to grow annually.

Yaoundé is Cameroon's capital. It was founded in the latter part of the 19th century by German traders during the ivory industry’s peak. Yaoundé’s population is 2.5 million, which makes it the second-largest city in the country after Douala, which has more than 3 million residents. Douala is the 27th most expensive city on earth, and the most expensive African city.

Cameroon Demographics

Cameroon’s population is made up of its indigenous ethnicity, the Baka, also known as the pygmies. These are the longest, continuous indigenous peoples next to the Cameroon highlanders which comprise 31% of the population. Equatorial Bantu make up an estimated 19% of the population. Kirdi and Fulani peoples are also a good percentage of the residents of Cameroon.

Religious affiliation within Cameroon boasts a whopping 70% Christian. 21% is of the Islamic faith, and 6% still maintain indigenous belief systems dating back to the cultural inception thousands of years ago. Islamic believers are concentrated in the north of Cameroon while Christian believers are dense in the southern and western region of the country.

Cameroonians usually have large, extended families with both polygamous and monogamous marriages in practice.

Cameroon is often a destination for refugees and asylum seekers in the region. In 2007, more than 97,000 refugees moved to Cameroon, most of whom were from the Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria escaping war. This trend continues, with more than 90,000 additional refugees fleeing to Cameroon from the Central African Republic in 2014 at a rate of 2,000 per week.

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