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Cameroon

CM

Central Africa

Cameroon is home to 6 documented ethnic groups in Central Africa — led by Cameroon Highlanders (~31%), Cameroon Other (~21%), Cameroon Equatorial Bantu (~19%), Kirdi (~11%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
Cameroon HighlandersCameroon Highlanders31.0%Cameroon 2005 Census plus subsequent demographic estimates; Cameroon Highlanders / 'Grassfielders' (~31%, ~8M+ of ~28M+ total). Includes Bamileke, Bamoun, Tikar, plus other Western Cameroon Niger-Congo groups
Cameroon OtherCameroon Other21.0%Cameroon 2005 Census residual; includes Eastern Nigritic, Pygmy / Baka (~30,000+), plus other groups across Cameroon's approximately 250+ ethnic groups
Cameroon Equatorial BantuCameroon Equatorial Bantu19.0%Cameroon 2005 Census; Equatorial Bantu (~19%); Bantu source populations of southern and central Cameroon. Includes Beti-Pahuin (Beti, Bulu, Fang), Maka, plus other groups
KirdiKirdi11.0%Cameroon 2005 Census; Kirdi (~11%); the historic non-Muslim northern-Cameroon highland populations including Mafa, Mofu, Kapsiki, plus other groups
Fulani CameroonFulani Cameroon10.0%Cameroon 2005 Census; Fulani / Peulh (~10%); pastoral nomadic populations of northern Cameroon, cross-border
Northwestern BantuNorthwestern Bantu8.0%Cameroon 2005 Census; Northwestern Bantu (~8%); coastal Bantu populations including Duala, Bakweri, plus other groups

Cameroon Phenotype Profile

Cameroon has a remarkably heterogeneous demographic structure with no single ethnic group reaching 35% — the country's 250+ ethnic groups reflect Cameroon's position at the crossroads of Niger-Congo source populations, Bantu source populations, plus pastoral Fulani populations of the West African Sahel.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Cameroon population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights derived from Cameroon 2005 Census plus subsequent estimates. The 2024 census has been delayed.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Bureau Central des Recensements et des Études de Population Cameroon. RGPH3 2005. Yaoundé: BUCREP; 2010.
  2. 2.DeLancey MW, Mbuh RN, DeLancey MD. Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon. 4th ed. Scarecrow; 2010.
  3. 3.Geschiere P. The Modernity of Witchcraft: Politics and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa. University of Virginia Press; 1997.
  4. 4.Tishkoff SA, Reed FA, Friedlaender FR, et al. The genetic structure and history of Africans and African Americans. Science. 2009;324(5930):1035-1044.
  5. 5.Bahuchet S. Changing Language, Remaining Pygmy. Hum Biol. 2012;84(1):11-43.

Other countries in Central Africa

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Central Africa nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all Central Africaethnic groups & countries →