Population growth rate in Ghana
Ghana: Population growth rate was 1.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Population growth rate in Ghana, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Ghana is 1.9%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Ghana peaked at 3.3% in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2023.
That places Ghana 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Population growth rate in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.8% | — |
| 1951 | 2.9% | +4.5% |
| 1952 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 1953 | 3.1% | +1.3% |
| 1954 | 3.2% | +3.0% |
| 1955 | 3.2% | +1.9% |
| 1956 | 3.3% | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 3.3% | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 3.2% | -2.2% |
| 1959 | 3.3% | +3.0% |
| 1960 | 3.3% | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 2.4% | -26.4% |
| 1962 | 2.4% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 2.4% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 2.8% | +8.1% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 2.9% | +3.9% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 2.9% | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.9% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 3.0% | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 3.0% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | -8.9% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -29.4% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | +5.1% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | -1.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 1.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 1.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rate in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | -29.4% | 3.0% | 2.1% |
| 1961 | -26.4% | 3.3% | 2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.1% | 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% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 55 Seychelles 2.0% compare
- 56 Tajikistan 2.0% compare
- 57 Comoros 1.9% compare
- 59 Western Sahara 1.9% compare
- 60 Kuwait 1.9% compare
- 61 Montenegro 1.9% compare
More population data for Ghana
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1514 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1514 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2469 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 52,232 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.76 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5066 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 296.87 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.28 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in Ghana?
- Population growth rate in Ghana was 1.9% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1959.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2023.
- How does Ghana rank for population growth rate?
- Ghana ranks 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.