Cameroon Languages

The official languages of Cameroon are French and English, which both belong to the Indo-European language family. French is part of the Romance subgroup, whereas English is part of the Germanic subgroup. Both languages use the same Latin alphabet, although written French utilizes accent marks over certain vowels. Use of each language depends on the region, with 8 out of 10 speaking French over English. These European languages are the result of colonialism.

French is spoken by around 83% of the population of Cameroon, while English is spoken by only around 16%. The number of English-speakers in this country has been decreasing since 1976, when 21% of the population reported speaking English. The Northwest and Southwest provinces have the highest number of English speakers, who have created a new language known as Cameroonian Pidgin English. This pidgin language is used as the language of business in these regions. Additionally, around 230 indigenous languages can also be heard throughout this country.

Learning some phrases in French can be useful for individuals planning a trip to Cameroon. If traveling to the English speaking province, tourists should learn some of the most important Cameroonian Pidgin phrases. Sometimes, the words sound similar to English. For example: “Ma name na ____” means “My name is ___.” The term “ashiya” is used as both a greeting and to express consolation or to say sorry. The English word “sweet” may also be used for something that is “nice”.

Because of the large number of indigenous languages spoken in Cameroon, many of them are considered minority language. The indigenous languages of Cameroon are concentrated in specific pockets around the country. Of these 230 languages, 173 belong to the Niger-Congo language family, 55 are Afro-Asiatic, and 2 are Nilo-Saharan. Some of the minority indigenous languages spoken in Cameroon include: Baka, Akoose, Kotoko, Fungom, Yamba, Gavar, Dek, and Abo.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Yaounde
Languages	24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Ethnic Groups	Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%
Religion	Catholic 38.4%, Protestant 26.3%, other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 20.9%, animist 5.6%, other 1%, non-believer 3.2% (2005 est.)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
Area	475,440.00 km²
Water Area	2,730.00 km²
Land Area	472,710.00 km²
Population	24,360,803.00
Location	Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
No. Bordering Countries	6
Bordering Countries	Central African Republic 901 km, Chad 1,116 km, Republic of the Congo 494 km, Equatorial Guinea 183 km, Gabon 349 km, Nigeria 1,975 km
GDP(PPP)	$77,240,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$3,300.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are China, India, and Spain.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are crude oil and petroleum products.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, Nigeria, and France.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery, electrical equipment, and transport equipment.
Climate	Varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Terrain	Diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Learn More	Cameroon

Cameroon Languages

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