Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Ghana
Ghana: Poverty gap index at $3 a day was 15.8% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Ghana, 1987–2016
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2016, poverty gap index at $3 a day in Ghana stood at 15.8%.
That represents a change of down 39.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty gap index at $3 a day in Ghana peaked at 39.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2012.
That places Ghana 9th out of 120 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 35.3% | 35.0% | 35.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 34.7% | 29.7% | 39.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.4% | 26.4% | 26.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 15.7% | 15.8% | 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)
- 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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 13.5% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.514 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 12.6% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1687 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1687 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1991 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.5095 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty gap index at $3 a day in Ghana?
- Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Ghana was 15.8% in 2016, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2012.
- How does Ghana rank for poverty gap index at $3 a day?
- Ghana ranks 9th out of 120 countries with data for 2016.
- Is poverty gap index at $3 a day rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Poverty gap index at $3 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The poverty gap index is a poverty measure that reflects both the prevalence and the depth of poverty. It is calculated as the share of population in poverty multiplied by the average shortfall from the poverty line (expressed as a % of the poverty line).