Rural population in Ghana
Ghana: Rural population was 40.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Ghana, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 40.1% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Ghana peaked at 71.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 2024.
That places Ghana 95th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 71.0% | — |
| 1971 | 70.8% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 70.6% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 70.4% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 70.2% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 70.0% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 69.7% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 69.5% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 69.3% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 69.1% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 68.8% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 68.6% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 68.4% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 68.2% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 67.8% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 67.1% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 66.4% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 65.7% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 65.0% | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 64.3% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 63.6% | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 62.8% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 62.1% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 61.4% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 60.6% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 59.9% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 59.1% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 58.3% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 57.6% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 56.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 56.1% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 55.4% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 54.7% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 54.0% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 53.4% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 52.7% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 52.0% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 51.3% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 50.6% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 50.0% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 49.3% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 48.6% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 47.9% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 47.3% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 46.6% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 45.9% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 45.3% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 44.6% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 43.9% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 43.3% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 42.7% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 42.0% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 41.4% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 40.8% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 40.1% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 70.1% | 69.1% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.0% | 64.3% | 68.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.2% | 56.8% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.0% | 50.0% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.3% | 43.3% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.4% | 40.1% | 42.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More population data for Ghana
- 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)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.141 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Ghana?
- Rural population in Ghana was 40.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 71.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 2024.
- How does Ghana rank for rural population?
- Ghana ranks 95th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release