Prison population rate in Ghana
Ghana: Prison population rate was 41 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
41
Change on year
down 8.9%
World rank
192nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
61
in 2008
All-time low
41
in 2025
Years of data
13
2000–2025
Prison population rate in Ghana, 2000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, prison population rate in Ghana stood at 41. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.9% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in Ghana peaked at 61 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 41, in 2025.
That places Ghana 192nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prison population rate in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 51 | — |
| 2002 | 58 | +13.7% |
| 2004 | 56 | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 59 | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 61 | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 56 | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 53 | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 55 | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 52 | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 50 | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 43 | -14.0% |
| 2022 | 45 | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 41 | -8.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 41 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 106, 39% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 41 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 90, 46% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57 | 51 | 61 | 5 |
| 2010s | 53.2 | 50 | 56 | 5 |
| 2020s | 43 | 41 | 45 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
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)
- Population growth rate 0.141 (2100)
- Population density 296.87 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 4.28 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in Ghana?
- Prison population rate in Ghana was 41 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 61 in 2008.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 41 in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for prison population rate?
- Ghana ranks 192nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prison population rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).