the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget
transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs.
International oil and cocoa prices have considerable impact on the
economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$30.17 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43.7% industry: 20.1% services: 36.2% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
6.68 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%
Unemployment rate:
30% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
48% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 36.6% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
47.7 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
16.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.493 billion
expenditures: $2.248 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)
Public debt:
69.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root
starches; livestock; timber
Industries:
petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food
processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair
Industrial production growth rate:
4.2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.571 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.7% hydro: 97.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
3.321 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
94,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
22,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA
Oil - imports:
NA
Oil - proved reserves:
80 million bbl (2004 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
55.22 billion cu m (2004)
Current account balance:
$-149.1 million (2004 est.)
Exports:
$2.445 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum,
coffee, cotton
Exports - partners:
Spain 15.2%, Italy 12.3%, UK 10.2%, France 9.2%, US 8.8%, South
Korea 7.1%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)
Imports:
$1.979 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
Imports - partners:
France 28.2%, Nigeria 9.9%, Belgium 7.6%, US 4.9%, China 4.8%,
Germany 4.6%, Italy 4.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$687.5 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.46 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
on 23 January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt
of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code:
XAF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29
(2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Cameroon
Telephones - main lines in use:
110,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.077 million (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: available only to business and government
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
international: country code - 237; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002)
Radios:
2.27 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2002)
Televisions:
450,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.cm
Internet hosts:
479 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users: 60,000 (2002) note: Cameroon also had more than 100 cyber-cafes in 2001
Transportation Cameroon
Railways: total: 1,008 km narrow gauge: 1,008 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
Highways: total: 34,300 km