Primary energy use in Cameroon
Cameroon: Primary energy use was 35.03 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
35.03 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
124th
of 219 countries
All-time high
37.86 terawatt-hours
in 2020
All-time low
11.04 terawatt-hours
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Primary energy use in Cameroon, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2024, primary energy use in Cameroon stood at 35.03 terawatt-hours.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Cameroon peaked at 37.86 terawatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.04 terawatt-hours, in 1980.
That places Cameroon 124th out of 219 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Primary energy use in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.04 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 11.45 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 13.5 terawatt-hours | +17.9% |
| 1983 | 13.48 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 13.61 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 14.37 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 15.73 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1987 | 14.7 terawatt-hours | -6.5% |
| 1988 | 14.41 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 17.22 terawatt-hours | +19.5% |
| 1990 | 17.43 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 17.55 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 17.76 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 15.12 terawatt-hours | -14.9% |
| 1994 | 16.42 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 1995 | 16.82 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 16.47 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 17.25 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 17.22 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 16.3 terawatt-hours | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 17 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 16.73 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 17.11 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 18.14 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 18.57 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 17.96 terawatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 23.04 terawatt-hours | +28.3% |
| 2007 | 23.06 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 22.83 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 25.57 terawatt-hours | +12.0% |
| 2010 | 29.82 terawatt-hours | +16.6% |
| 2011 | 31.62 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 32.04 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 27.01 terawatt-hours | -15.7% |
| 2014 | 35.73 terawatt-hours | +32.3% |
| 2015 | 36.06 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 35.08 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 34.57 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 37.52 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 36.38 terawatt-hours | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 37.86 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 35.88 terawatt-hours | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 36.18 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 33.75 terawatt-hours | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 35.03 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 35.03 terawatt-hours is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 52.67 terawatt-hours, 67% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 35.03 terawatt-hours is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.78 terawatt-hours, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use in Cameroon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +32.3% | 27.01 terawatt-hours | 35.73 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.95 terawatt-hours | 11.04 terawatt-hours | 17.22 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.83 terawatt-hours | 15.12 terawatt-hours | 17.76 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 20 terawatt-hours | 16.73 terawatt-hours | 25.57 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.58 terawatt-hours | 27.01 terawatt-hours | 37.52 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.74 terawatt-hours | 33.75 terawatt-hours | 37.86 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 121 Malta 36.33 terawatt-hours compare
- 122 Moldova 35.96 terawatt-hours compare
- 123 Jamaica 35.5 terawatt-hours compare
- 125 Democratic Republic of Congo 34.14 terawatt-hours compare
- 126 Luxembourg 34.09 terawatt-hours compare
- 127 Papua New Guinea 32.75 terawatt-hours compare
More energy & mining data for Cameroon
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 3.79 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 24.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in Cameroon?
- Primary energy use in Cameroon was 35.03 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 37.86 terawatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.04 terawatt-hours in 1980.
- How does Cameroon rank for primary energy use?
- Cameroon ranks 124th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.