Natural resources of Cameroon
Oil, gas, minerals, forests and water in Cameroon: what it produces, how it ranks in the world, who mines it and what it earns. Every figure is from an official source and is updated when the source is.
Resource rents, share of GDP (2021)
5.5 %
Resources, share of goods exports (2023)
66.2 %
Crude oil, barrels a day (2025)
59,244
Natural gas, billion cubic metres (2024)
2.5
Source: World Bank; UN Comtrade; U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Oil, gas and coal
Cameroon produced about 59,244 barrels of crude oil a day in 2025. Proved oil reserves were 200 million barrels in 2021. It produced 2.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas in 2024, and exported 1.9 billion. Proved gas reserves were 135.1 billion cubic metres in 2021.
View the data as a table
| Period | Crude oil |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 65 |
| 2011 | 62 |
| 2012 | 63 |
| 2013 | 63 |
| 2014 | 75 |
| 2015 | 98 |
| 2016 | 92 |
| 2017 | 76 |
| 2018 | 69 |
| 2019 | 69 |
| 2020 | 72 |
| 2021 | 68 |
| 2022 | 66 |
| 2023 | 64 |
| 2024 | 61 |
| 2025 | 59 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Data. Last checked 24 October 2026.
View the data as a table
| Period | Production | Exports |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 2011 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 2012 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 2013 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2014 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 2015 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 2016 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| 2017 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| 2018 | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| 2019 | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| 2020 | 2.4 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| 2024 | 2.5 | 1.9 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Data. Last checked 24 October 2026.
| Pumice And Pumicite | 370 | thousand metric tons | 12 | 1.9 | 4 | Not published |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Mining and minerals
The U.S. Geological Survey records 11 mineral commodities with published production in Cameroon between 2018 and 2022, from metals and gemstones to industrial minerals and fuels. The table includes processed products such as cement and steel, which USGS reports alongside raw minerals.
Showing 11 of 11
| Aluminum, metal, primary | Metals | Not published | 65,900 | 53,200 | 47,500 | 36,400 | 36,000 | 2018: r; 2019: r; 2020: r; 2021: r; 2022: e |
| Gold, mine, Au content | Metals | kilograms | 478 | 341 | 326 | 330 | 300 | 2021: e; 2022: e |
| Cement, hydraulic | Industrial Minerals | thousand metric tons | 2,830 | 2,780 | 3,440 | 4,500 | 3,600 | 2020: e; 2021: e; 2022: e |
| Clay, unspecified | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 6,339 | 4,814 | 7,340 | 7,300 | 7,300 | 2021: e; 2022: e |
| Diamond, gem, unspecified | Industrial Minerals | carats | 1,805 | 1,737 | 2,439 | 2,670 | 2,431 | Not published |
| Pumice and related materials, pozzolan, ash for cement | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 108,886 | 180,000 | 280,000 | 280,000 | 280,000 | 2021: e; 2022: e |
| Sand and gravel | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 620,000 | 600,000 | 3,700,000 | 3,700,000 | 3,700,000 | 2021: e; 2022: e |
| Stone, crushed, limestone | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 146,339 | 170,941 | 184,000 | 180,000 | 180,000 | 2021: e; 2022: e |
| Natural gas | Mineral Fuels And Related Materials | million cubic meters | 1,463 | 2,006 | 2,130 | 2,380 | 2,498 | 2021: r |
| Crude | Mineral Fuels And Related Materials | thousand 42-gallon barrels | 25,133 | 25,996 | 26,556 | 25,000 | 24,951 | 2021: e |
| Refinery | Mineral Fuels And Related Materials | thousand 42-gallon barrels | 10,000 | 5,000 | Not published | Not published | Not published | 2018: e; 2019: e; 2020: --; 2021: --; 2022: -- |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Yearbook, country tables. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Showing 21 of 21
| Aluminum | Compagnie Camerounaise de l’Aluminium (Alucam) (Government, 93.4%; Agence Française de Développement (AFD), 5.6%; Alucam staff, 1%) | Smelter at Edea | 100 | Not published |
| Cement | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Plant at Bonaberi near Douala | 1,600 | Not published |
| Cement | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Grinding plant at Figuil | 100 | Not published |
| Cement | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Plant at Nomayos near Yaounde | 500 | Not published |
| Cement | Ciments de L'Afrique (CIMAF) | Plant at Bonaberi near Douala | 1,600 | Not published |
| Cement | Dangote Cement Plc (Dangote Group) | Grinding plant at Douala | 1,500 | Not published |
| Cement | Egin SA | Plant at Douala | 500 | Not published |
| Cement | Medcem Cameroon (Eren Holdings, 100%) | Plant at Douala | 600 | Not published |
| Clay | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Quarry at Figuil | Not published | Not published |
| Diamond | Artisanal | Various locations | 12,000 | carats |
| Gold, mine, Au content | Artisanal | Various locations | 2,000 | kilograms |
| Natural gas | Gaz du Cameroun S.A. (Victoria Oil and Gas Plc 100%) | Logbaba and Matanda gas fields | Not published | Not published |
| Natural gas | Noble Energy, Inc., and Société National Hydrocarbures (SNH) | Yoyo offshore gas field | Not published | Not published |
| Natural gas | Perenco Cameroon S.A. (Perenco plc, 100%) | Sanaga offshore gas field | 8,760 | million cubic meters |
| Crude | Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH) joint ventures with other companies | Offshore and onshore oil fields | 100,000 | barrels per day |
| Crude | Glencore plc, 50%, and Perenco Cameroon S.A., 50% | Bolongo Block offshore oil fields | 10,000 | barrels per day |
| Refined do. | Société Nationale de Raffinage S.A. (SONARA) (Government) | Limbe refinery at Limbe | 72,000 | Not published |
| Pumice and related minerals, pozzolan, ash | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Quarries at Figuil and Foumbot | Not published | Not published |
| Sand | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Quarry at Figuil | Not published | Not published |
| Sand | Artisanal | Various locations | Not published | Not published |
| Stone, limestone | Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) (Holcim S.A. 55%; Government, 43%; Cimenteries du Cameroun staff, 2%) | Quarry at Figuil | 275 | Not published |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Yearbook 2021, Cameroon. Last checked 24 October 2026.
What natural resources earn
Natural resource rents were 5.5% of GDP in 2021, with forests and timber the largest part. That ranks Cameroon 34th of 54 African countries. See all 54.
View the data as a table
| Period | Oil | Natural gas | Minerals | Forests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4.1 % | 0.1 % | 0.1 % | 2.7 % |
| 2011 | 5.3 % | 0.0 % | 0.1 % | 2.7 % |
| 2012 | 5.3 % | 0.1 % | 0.1 % | 3.0 % |
| 2013 | 4.2 % | 0.0 % | 0.1 % | 3.1 % |
| 2014 | 3.7 % | 0.1 % | 0.0 % | 3.2 % |
| 2015 | 1.9 % | 0.1 % | 0.0 % | 3.6 % |
| 2016 | 1.6 % | 0.1 % | 0.1 % | 3.7 % |
| 2017 | 2.2 % | 0.1 % | 0.0 % | 3.7 % |
| 2018 | 2.8 % | 0.4 % | 0.0 % | 3.0 % |
| 2019 | 2.4 % | 0.5 % | 0.0 % | 2.6 % |
| 2020 | 1.3 % | 0.4 % | 0.0 % | 2.7 % |
| 2021 | 2.4 % | 0.6 % | 0.0 % | 2.6 % |
| 2022 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2023 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2024 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2025 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2026 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Forest, share of land (2024)
40.7 %
Arable land, share of land (2024)
13.1 %
Renewable fresh water per person (2022)
9,880 m³
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Method and sources
Oil, gas and coal output and coal reserves are from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Oil and gas proved reserves are the EIA figures republished by Our World in Data; oil is converted from cubic metres to barrels at the standard factor. World production, reserves and ranks are from the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries, ranked among the countries USGS names. The full list of commodities and the companies that mine them are from the USGS Minerals Yearbook country tables, which run a few years behind. Rents, land and water are from the World Bank, and export shares from UN Comtrade. Nothing is estimated by us. Figures last checked on 24 October 2026.
USGS country page for Cameroon. EIA international energy data. World Bank resource rents.
Frequently asked questions
What natural resources does Cameroon have?
Cameroon's main natural resources are crude oil, natural gas and timber. Oil, gas and coal made up 54.1% of its goods exports in 2023, and all resources together 66.2%. The World Bank puts natural resource rents at 5.5% of GDP in 2021, mostly from forests and timber. The U.S. Geological Survey also records production of gold, sand and gravel and stone.
Does Cameroon produce oil?
Yes. Cameroon produced about 59,244 barrels of crude oil a day in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Proved oil reserves were 200 million barrels in 2021.
What is Cameroon's most valuable natural resource?
By export earnings, oil, gas and coal: 54.1% of goods exports in 2023, according to UN Comtrade.
How much do natural resources contribute to Cameroon's economy?
Natural resource rents, the value of resources extracted minus the cost of extracting them, were 5.5% of GDP in 2021. That ranks Cameroon 34th of 54 African countries.
Which companies mine in Cameroon?
The U.S. Geological Survey's 2021 list of Cameroon's mineral industry names 12 operating companies, including Compagnie Camerounaise de l’Aluminium, Cimenteries du Cameroun, Ciments de L'Afrique, Dangote Cement Plc and Egin SA. The full list is on this page.
Where does Cameroon rank in world mineral production?
In 2025, Cameroon ranked 12th for pumice and pumicite among the producers the U.S. Geological Survey lists.