NIS reveals 38.6% of Cameroonians living below poverty line in 2022

Data published by the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) this month reveals that 38.6 percent of Cameroonians were living below the poverty line of 813 francs CFA per day in 2022, which is an increase from 37 percent in 2014.

The data also shows that despite efforts made, the government failed to keep poverty levels at 30 percent, as planned in the National Development Strategy Paper 2030 (NDS30), which is a breakdown of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“After a decline from 2001 to 2014, poverty is on the rise again and reached 38.6% in 2021; thus moving away from the target of 30.8% retained in the NDS30,” the NIS said in a document released on May 22, 2024.

The NIS calculated poverty levels by first determining the welfare indicator, which is the average income consumed by a person per household; and the poverty line, which is the level of welfare indicator below which a household is considered poor.

The welfare indicator for 2022 stood at 1,363 francs CFA per person per day, while the poverty line was drawn at 813 francs CFA per day.

“A person was poor in 2022 when they consumed less than 813 CFA francs per day; at the national level, approximately two persons out of five are poor; the phenomenon being significant in rural areas,” the NIS said.

The statistics also show a stark contrast in poverty levels in urban and rural areas and a significant gap between the rich and the poor.

In urban areas, poverty increased by 7.6 percent between 2014 and 2021, that is, from 8.9 percent to 16.5 percent. Despite hosting a much higher percentage of poor people, rural areas showed just a slight increase in poverty levels—from 56.8% in 2014 to 58.3% in 2021.

“In absolute terms, it should also be noted that the number of poor continues to grow, due, on the one hand, to demographic growth and, on the other hand, to the strong internal mobility of populations as a result of insecurity in certain localities, the exodus of youths to the cities in search of employment, and climate change, especially in the Far-North region,” the NIS said.

Meanwhile, significant inequalities were realised between the rich and the poor, with NIS stating, “Consumer inequalities between the rich and the poor still remain high since the richest 10 times 20% consume more than the poorest 20%.”

The poverty level in the country was calculated through a Cameroon Household Survey (ECAM), a statistical monitoring system that monitors the implementation of the NDS30 and measures progress achieved in the attainment of the UNSDGs.

The increasing poverty between 2014 and 2022 has been blamed on distabilizing factors like the armed conflicts in the Far North, North West, and South West Regions; the conflict in Central African Republic, which caused a refugee crisis in Cameroon; and the Russia-Ukraine war, the COVID-19 pandemic, which destabilised the health and economic system.

©Mimi Mefo Info