Number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana
Ghana: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 18.20 million people in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana, 1987–2016
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana is 18.20 million people, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 103.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana peaked at 18.20 million people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3.15 million people, in 1987.
Ghana ranks 48th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 3.15 million people | — |
| 1988 | 3.34 million people | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 3.16 million people | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 6.50 million people | +106.0% |
| 2005 | 8.94 million people | +37.4% |
| 2012 | 15.87 million people | +77.6% |
| 2016 | 18.20 million people | +14.7% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 18.20 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.39 million people, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 18.20 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.66 million people, 1.7× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.25 million people | 3.15 million people | 3.34 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 4.83 million people | 3.16 million people | 6.50 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.94 million people | 8.94 million people | 8.94 million people | 1 |
| 2010s | 17.04 million people | 15.87 million people | 18.20 million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More poverty & inequality data for Ghana
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.4 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,688 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 10.43 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 13.54 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 13.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Ghana was 18.20 million people in 2016, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 18.20 million people in 2016.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.15 million people in 1987.
- How does Ghana rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Ghana ranks 48th out of 120 countries with data for 2016.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 103.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.