Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Ghana

Ghana: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 21.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
21.2%
World rank
110th
of 179 countries
All-time high
21.2%
in 2020
All-time low
11.2%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Ghana, 1950–2020

051015201950198520201950: 11.2 %1955: 12.6 %1960: 14 %1965: 14.1 %1970: 14.7 %1975: 14.4 %1980: 16.5 %1985: 17 %1990: 17.2 %1995: 18.6 %2000: 19.1 %2005: 19.9 %2010: 20.8 %2015: 21.1 %2020: 21.2 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Ghana is 21.2%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Ghana peaked at 21.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 1950.

Ghana ranks 110th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 11.9% 11.2% 12.6% 2
1960s 14.1% 14.0% 14.1% 2
1970s 14.5% 14.4% 14.7% 2
1980s 16.8% 16.5% 17.0% 2
1990s 17.9% 17.2% 18.6% 2
2000s 19.5% 19.1% 19.9% 2
2010s 20.9% 20.8% 21.1% 2
2020s 21.2% 21.2% 21.2% 1

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 107 Libya 22.1% compare
  2. 108 Guyana 22.0% compare
  3. 109 Guatemala 21.7% compare
  4. 111 Tanzania 21.0% compare
  5. 112 Palestine 20.9% compare
  6. 113 Syria 20.7% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Ghana?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Ghana was 21.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 21.2% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 1950.
How does Ghana rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Ghana ranks 110th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.