Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana
Ghana: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line was 23.4% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana, 1991–2016
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana is 23.4%, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana peaked at 51.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2016.
Ghana ranks 17th of 73 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 51.7% | — |
| 1998 | 39.5% | -23.6% |
| 2005 | 31.9% | -19.2% |
| 2012 | 24.2% | -24.1% |
| 2016 | 23.4% | -3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.6% | 39.5% | 51.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.9% | 31.9% | 31.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 23.4% | 24.2% | 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 proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana?
- Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Ghana was 23.4% in 2016, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 51.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2016.
- How does Ghana rank for proportion of population living below the national poverty line?
- Ghana ranks 17th out of 73 countries with data for 2016.
- Is proportion of population living below the national poverty line rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).