Urban and rural population in Ghana
Ghana: Urban and rural population was 20.66 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
20.66 million
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
42nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
20.66 million
in 2025
All-time low
776,327
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Urban and rural population in Ghana, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, urban and rural population in Ghana stood at 20.66 million. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban and rural population in Ghana peaked at 20.66 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 776,327, in 1950.
That places Ghana 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban and rural population in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 776,327 | — |
| 1951 | 836,382 | +7.7% |
| 1952 | 903,786 | +8.1% |
| 1953 | 977,782 | +8.2% |
| 1954 | 1.06 million | +8.2% |
| 1955 | 1.14 million | +8.1% |
| 1956 | 1.23 million | +7.9% |
| 1957 | 1.33 million | +7.6% |
| 1958 | 1.43 million | +7.2% |
| 1959 | 1.52 million | +6.8% |
| 1960 | 1.62 million | +6.5% |
| 1961 | 1.72 million | +5.8% |
| 1962 | 1.81 million | +5.3% |
| 1963 | 1.90 million | +5.2% |
| 1964 | 2.00 million | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 2.10 million | +4.9% |
| 1966 | 2.19 million | +4.7% |
| 1967 | 2.29 million | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 2.39 million | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.49 million | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 2.59 million | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 2.69 million | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 2.79 million | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 2.89 million | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 3.00 million | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 3.10 million | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 3.21 million | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 3.33 million | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 3.45 million | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 3.58 million | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 3.71 million | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 3.84 million | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 3.98 million | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 4.14 million | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 4.29 million | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 4.44 million | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 4.61 million | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 4.80 million | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 5.02 million | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 5.25 million | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 5.50 million | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 5.77 million | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 6.05 million | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 6.34 million | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 6.64 million | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 6.95 million | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 7.27 million | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 7.60 million | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 7.93 million | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 8.28 million | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 8.63 million | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 9.00 million | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 9.40 million | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 9.81 million | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 10.22 million | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 10.65 million | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 11.09 million | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 11.54 million | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 12.00 million | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 12.46 million | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 12.92 million | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 13.39 million | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 13.88 million | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 14.38 million | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 14.88 million | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 15.39 million | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 15.90 million | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 16.41 million | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 16.92 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 17.42 million | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 17.93 million | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 18.44 million | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 18.98 million | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 19.53 million | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 20.09 million | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 20.66 million | +2.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 20.66 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.62 million, 3.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 20.66 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 4.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.12 million | 776,327 | 1.52 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.05 million | 1.62 million | 2.49 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.06 million | 2.59 million | 3.58 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.41 million | 3.71 million | 5.25 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.83 million | 5.50 million | 8.28 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.48 million | 8.63 million | 12.46 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.15 million | 12.92 million | 17.42 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.27 million | 17.93 million | 20.66 million | 6 |
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 urban and rural population in Ghana?
- Urban and rural population in Ghana was 20.66 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest urban and rural population recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 20.66 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban and rural population recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 776,327 in 1950.
- How does Ghana rank for urban and rural population?
- Ghana ranks 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban and rural population rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).