By a decree signed on March 6, 2026, the Prime Minister fixed the enumeration period for the Fourth General Population and Housing Census.
Cameroon is preparing to reach a new milestone in the knowledge of its population. By a decree signed on March 6, 2026, the Prime Minister fixed the schedule for the enumeration operations of the Fourth General Population and Housing Census (RGPH-4), coupled with the basic module of the General Census of Agriculture and Livestock.
According to the text, the pooled data collection operations will take place throughout the national territory from April 24 to May 29, 2026. This vast campaign will allow census agents to travel through towns and villages to collect essential information on the population, housing, as well as agricultural and livestock activities. The decree also specifies that the document will be registered, published, and inserted in the Official Gazette in French and English.
This fourth census is part of a long statistical tradition in Cameroon. The first General Population and Housing Census dates back to 1976 and allowed the population to be estimated at just over 7,6 million inhabitants. Eleven years later, in 1987, the second census revealed a population exceeding 10 million. It was then necessary to wait until 2005 for the third national operation, which established the population at more than 17 million inhabitants.
More than twenty years after this last official count, the RGPH-4 therefore appears as a crucial milestone to update demographic data and guide public policies. Because beyond the numbers, counting Cameroonians also means better preparing the country’s future.
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