Are There White People in Cameroon? Yes—A Small Minority

Yes. Cameroon's population (~28M) is overwhelmingly Black African, but white residents exist in three categories:

1. Expatriates: French, Belgian, American, Chinese, Lebanese, Indian professionals in oil, timber, NGOs, diplomacy, education. Concentrated in Yaoundé, Douala, Limbe. Estimated 10,000–20,000.
2. Colonial-era descendants: Families of French/Belgian administrators, planters, missionaries who stayed post-1960. Some hold dual citizenship; culturally Franco-Cameroonian.
3. Naturalized citizens: Long-term residents who acquired Cameroonian nationality (requires 5+ years residence, language, integration).

Demographic Context

• No official ethnicity census since 1976.
• "White" not a census category; self-identification varies.
• Visible minority—often assumed to be foreign tourists/aid workers.
• No history of large-scale European settlement (unlike Algeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa).

Race relations are generally relaxed; Cameroonian identity is national and linguistic (Anglophone/Francophone) rather than racial. But white skin confers automatic "expat" assumptions—privilege and suspicion both.