Share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana
Ghana: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 23.4% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana, 1991–2016
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana is 23.4%, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana peaked at 51.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2016.
That places Ghana 17th out of 70 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of population | 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 share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Ghana was 23.4% in 2016, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 51.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2016.
- How does Ghana rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Ghana ranks 17th out of 70 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines 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 World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.