Cameroon - Gross capital formation (% of GDP)

Gross capital formation (% of GDP) in Cameroon was 17.74 as of 2020. Its highest value over the past 55 years was 31.25 in 1978, while its lowest value was 10.70 in 1969.

Definition: Gross capital formation (formerly gross domestic investment) consists of outlays on additions to the fixed assets of the economy plus net changes in the level of inventories. Fixed assets include land improvements (fences, ditches, drains, and so on); plant, machinery, and equipment purchases; and the construction of roads, railways, and the like, including schools, offices, hospitals, private residential dwellings, and commercial and industrial buildings. Inventories are stocks of goods held by firms to meet temporary or unexpected fluctuations in production or sales, and "work in progress." According to the 1993 SNA, net acquisitions of valuables are also considered capital formation.

Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.

See also:

Year Value
1965 12.53
1966 13.34
1967 13.76
1968 13.36
1969 10.70
1970 16.03
1971 16.65
1972 18.25
1973 19.89
1974 17.08
1975 19.97
1976 17.59
1977 28.49
1978 31.25
1979 28.52
1980 20.98
1981 27.19
1982 24.80
1983 25.98
1984 25.94
1985 24.88
1986 25.51
1987 24.70
1988 20.90
1989 17.10
1990 17.81
1991 16.67
1992 14.31
1993 13.76
1994 16.61
1995 17.54
1996 17.37
1997 17.68
1998 18.45
1999 17.67
2000 17.19
2001 18.77
2002 19.44
2003 18.09
2004 18.87
2005 18.67
2006 17.78
2007 18.38
2008 19.75
2009 18.56
2010 18.23
2011 18.73
2012 18.00
2013 18.65
2014 19.73
2015 18.25
2016 19.82
2017 19.45
2018 19.54
2019 18.93
2020 17.74

Limitations and Exceptions: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on capital formation may be estimated from direct surveys of enterprises and administrative records or based on the commodity flow method using data from production, trade, and construction activities. The quality of data on government fixed capital formation depends on the quality of government accounting systems (which tend to be weak in developing countries). Measures of fixed capital formation by households and corporations - particularly capital outlays by small, unincorporated enterprises - are usually unreliable. Estimates of changes in inventories are rarely complete but usually include the most important activities or commodities. In some countries these estimates are derived as a composite residual along with household final consumption expenditure. According to national accounts conventions, adjustments should be made for appreciation of the value of inventory holdings due to price changes, but this is not always done. In highly inflationary economies this element can be substantial.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross domestic product (GDP) from the expenditure side is made up of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation (private and public investment in fixed assets, changes in inventories, and net acquisitions of valuables), and net exports (exports minus imports) of goods and services. Such expenditures are recorded in purchaser prices and include net taxes on products.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Economic Policy & Debt Indicators

Sub-Topic: National accounts