Urban population in Ghana
Ghana: Urban population was 20.66 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Ghana, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Ghana recorded 20.66 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Ghana peaked at 20.66 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.62 million, in 1960.
That places Ghana 42nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.62 million | — |
| 1961 | 1.72 million | +5.8% |
| 1962 | 1.81 million | +5.3% |
| 1963 | 1.90 million | +5.2% |
| 1964 | 2.00 million | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 2.10 million | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 2.19 million | +4.7% |
| 1967 | 2.29 million | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 2.39 million | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.49 million | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 2.59 million | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 2.69 million | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 2.79 million | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 2.89 million | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 3.00 million | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 3.10 million | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 3.21 million | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 3.33 million | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 3.45 million | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 3.58 million | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 3.71 million | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 3.84 million | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 3.98 million | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 4.14 million | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 4.29 million | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 4.44 million | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 4.61 million | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 4.80 million | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 5.02 million | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 5.25 million | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 5.50 million | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 5.77 million | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 6.05 million | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 6.34 million | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 6.64 million | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 6.95 million | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 7.27 million | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 7.60 million | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 7.93 million | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 8.28 million | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 8.63 million | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 9.00 million | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 9.40 million | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 9.81 million | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 10.22 million | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 10.65 million | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 11.09 million | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 11.54 million | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 12.00 million | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 12.46 million | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 12.92 million | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 13.39 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 13.88 million | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 14.38 million | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 14.88 million | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 15.39 million | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 15.90 million | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 16.41 million | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 16.92 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 17.42 million | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 17.93 million | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 18.44 million | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 18.98 million | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 19.53 million | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 20.09 million | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 20.66 million | +2.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 20.66 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.62 million, 3.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 20.66 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 4.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.05 million | 1.62 million | 2.49 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.06 million | 2.59 million | 3.58 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.41 million | 3.71 million | 5.25 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.83 million | 5.50 million | 8.28 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.48 million | 8.63 million | 12.46 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.15 million | 12.92 million | 17.42 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.27 million | 17.93 million | 20.66 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
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 urban population in Ghana?
- Urban population in Ghana was 20.66 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 20.66 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.62 million in 1960.
- How does Ghana rank for urban population?
- Ghana ranks 42nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.