Population growth in Ghana
Ghana: Population growth was 1.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Ghana, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Ghana stood at 1.8%. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Ghana peaked at 3.1% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2025.
Ghana ranks 58th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Ghana, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.9% | — |
| 1962 | 2.4% | -15.5% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.4% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 2.5% | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 2.7% | +6.9% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 2.9% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 2.9% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 2.9% | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 3.0% | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 2.9% | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | -14.2% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | -16.7% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 1.8% | -2.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 1.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 1.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 55 Uzbekistan 1.9% compare
- 56 Comoros 1.9% compare
- 57 Cayman Islands 1.8% compare
- 59 Tajikistan 1.8% compare
- 60 Papua New Guinea 1.7% compare
- 61 Armenia 1.7% compare
More climate change data for Ghana
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 63.84 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,671 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,693 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,979 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 142.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,417 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 670.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 746.8 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.53 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Ghana?
- Population growth in Ghana was 1.8% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 1979.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for population growth?
- Ghana ranks 58th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.