The international poverty rate in Ghana as of 2021 was forecast at 11.3 percent, considering the 2011 poverty line set at 1.90 U.S. dollars. The same rate was forecast for 2022, which represented a slight increase compared to 2019, when the poverty rate was measured at 11.1 percent. Overall, no significant change in the population’s percentage living on up to 1.90 U.S. dollars per day was expected in the years following 2019. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on economic activities have contributed to the slowly-improving poverty levels registered in the country since that year.

As of 2024, some 6.9 million people in Ghana lived in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars per day. This stood as an increase from the previous year when roughly 6.8 million people lived in the said state of poverty. In 2026, around 6.7 million Ghanaians are expected to live on a maximum of 2.15 U.S. dollars daily.

Poverty in the country is segregated

Indeed, poverty figures do not considerably vary when considering men and women apart. In 2024, around 3.5 million men lived in extreme poverty in Ghana, while the count reached roughly 3.3 million for women. On the other hand, in distinguishing the state of extreme poverty among rural and urban dwellers, the difference is striking, even when based on the previously set poverty line of 1.90 U.S. dollars per day. Overall, 1.1 percent of the world's population in extreme poverty lived in Ghana as of 2024.

Ghana's Private Wealth Position in Africa

Ghana is one of the African countries with the highest private wealth concentration, ranking 6th after Kenya as of 2021. That year, the country's total private wealth amounted to 59 billion U.S. dollars, corresponding to around 1,900 U.S. dollars per capita. Between 2011 and 2021, the total wealth held by individuals in Ghana increased, representing a higher growth in comparison to other African countries save five. Overall, the nation ranks 9th in Africa in terms of countries with high net-worth individuals.

Historical chart and dataset showing Ghana poverty rate by year from 1987 to 2016.

Poverty rate at national poverty line of Ghana slipped by 3.31% from 24.2 % in 2012 to 23.4 % in 2016. Since the 24.14% drop in 2012, poverty rate at national poverty line declined by 3.31% in 2016. National poverty rate is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.

In 2023, nine percent of the population in Ghana lived in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at **** U.S. dollars a day. The share was equivalent to nearly ************* people. By 2025, the extreme poverty rate is projected to decrease to ***** percent.

Ghana Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data was reported at 32.800 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 33.200 % for 2012. Ghana Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data is updated yearly, averaging 33.000 % from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2016, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.200 % in 2012 and a record low of 32.800 % in 2016. Ghana Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ghana – Table GH.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Multidimensional Poverty Measure. The Multidimensional Poverty Measure includes three dimensions – monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services – to capture a more complete picture of poverty.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

In 2023, around **** million people in Ghana lived in extreme poverty, the majority in rural areas. The count of people living on less than **** U.S. dollars a day in rural regions reached around *** million, while ******* extremely poor people were located in urban areas. Overall, within the period examined, the poverty incidence remained above *********** in rural communities and between *** thousand and *** thousand in urban areas.

Poverty rate at $1.9 a day of Ghana slumped by 6.70% from 41.80 % in 2012 to 39.00 % in 2016. Since the 3.88% rise in 1991, poverty rate at $1.9 a day sank by 51.49% in 2016. Population below $1.9 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.9 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2.15 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 25.200 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25.700 % for 2012. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2.15 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 55.000 % from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 64.200 % in 1991 and a record low of 25.200 % in 2016. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2.15 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ghana – Table GH.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty headcount ratio at $2.15 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $2.15 a day at 2017 purchasing power adjusted prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Ghana: Poverty, percent of population: The latest value from 2016 is 23.4 percent, a decline from 24.2 percent in 2012. In comparison, the world average is 23.41 percent, based on data from 56 countries. Historically, the average for Ghana from 2005 to 2016 is 26.5 percent. The minimum value, 23.4 percent, was reached in 2016 while the maximum of 31.9 percent was recorded in 2005.

Poverty rate at $3.2 a day of Ghana dropped by 5.85% from 59.80 % in 2012 to 56.30 % in 2016. Since the 0.78% upward trend in 1991, poverty rate at $3.2 a day plummeted by 37.65% in 2016. Population below $3.1 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.1 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 24.200 % in 2012. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31.900 % for 2005. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 28.050 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2012, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31.900 % in 2005 and a record low of 24.200 % in 2012. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ghana – Table GH.World Bank: Poverty. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

In 2024, an estimated 6.9 million people in Ghana lived in extreme poverty, the majority being the male population. The number of men in the country living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day reached around 3.5 million, while the count was at 3.3 million for women. Overall, 1.1 percent of the global population in extreme poverty was found in Ghana as of 2024.

29.3 (%) in 2016. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

After the return to democracy, Ghana achieved significant economic growth and poverty reduction. However, in recent years, the rate of poverty reduction has slowed, becoming insignificant after 2012. The largest reduction in poverty, 2 percent per year, was reached from 1991–1998. Subsequently, the rate of decline fell to 1.4 percent in 1998–2005, 1.1 percent in 2005–2012, and dropped to 0.2 percent per year between 2012 and 2016. The slowdown in poverty reduction was not due to a reduction in GDP per capita growth, which peaked between 2005 and 2012 and remained high between 2012 and 2016. Rather, it was due to a drop in the rate to which economic growth translated into poverty reduction. The growth elasticity of poverty (percentage reduction in poverty associated for every one percentage change in GDP per capita) was 1.2 between 1991 and 1998 but declined to less than 0.1 between 2012 and 2016, indicating a 1 percent increase in GDP per capita led to less than 0.1 percent reduction in poverty.

Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data was reported at 37.900 % in 2012. This records a decrease from the previous number of 43.700 % for 2005. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data is updated yearly, averaging 40.800 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2012, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43.700 % in 2005 and a record low of 37.900 % in 2012. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ghana – Table GH.World Bank: Poverty. Rural poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the rural population living below the national poverty lines.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 12.000 % in 2012. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24.500 % for 2005. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 39.000 % from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2012, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.800 % in 1991 and a record low of 12.000 % in 2012. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $1.90 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ghana – Table GH.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.90 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Poverty gap at $1.9 a day of Ghana rocketed by 37.50% from 3.2 % in 2012 to 4.4 % in 2016. Since the 33.91% drop in 2005, poverty gap at $1.9 a day sank by 42.11% in 2016. Poverty gap at $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $1.90 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 60.500 % in 2012. This records a decrease from the previous number of 77.100 % for 2005. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 89.100 % from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2012, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.000 % in 1987 and a record low of 60.500 % in 2012. Ghana GH: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ghana – Table GH.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

This report consists of four chapters. Chapter one profiles the trends in household consumption and poverty rates, and in the characteristics of the poor observed between 1991 and 2012. Descriptive statistics of consumption and selected poverty indexes are presented and a profile of the characteristics of the poor is given. The chapter concludes with an analysis of vulnerability. Chapter two uses descriptive and econometric techniques to identify the drivers of Ghana’s success over the last two decades. Chapter three examines the main challenges Ghana continues to face: widening inequalities, a persistent spatial divide, and the deteriorating macroeconomic environment. Chapter four provides a roadmap for policy action to effectively address these challenges and consolidate Ghana’s success as a middle-income economy.