Share of population living in the capital city in Ghana
Ghana: Share of population living in the capital city was 16.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Ghana, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in the capital city in Ghana stood at 16.3%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Ghana peaked at 16.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 1950.
That places Ghana 87th out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.0% | — |
| 1955 | 6.0% | +19.1% |
| 1960 | 7.1% | +17.9% |
| 1965 | 7.5% | +5.1% |
| 1970 | 8.1% | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 8.3% | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 9.8% | +17.6% |
| 1985 | 10.4% | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 10.9% | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 12.4% | +14.3% |
| 2000 | 13.3% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 14.4% | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 15.5% | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 16.0% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.5% | 5.0% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.3% | 7.1% | 7.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.2% | 8.1% | 8.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.1% | 9.8% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.7% | 10.9% | 12.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.8% | 13.3% | 14.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 15.5% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More population data for Ghana
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2469 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1514 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.28 million people (2100)
- Population density 296.87 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5066 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.76 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Ghana?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Ghana was 16.3% 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 population living in the capital city recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 1950.
- How does Ghana rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Ghana ranks 87th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. 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 population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.