Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana
Ghana: Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 15.2% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana, 1943–2016
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana is 15.2%, measured in 2016.
The figure is down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana peaked at 22.4% in 1956 and was at its lowest, 12.2%, in 1998.
That places Ghana 51st out of 113 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 21.4% | — |
| 1951 | 20.3% | -5.3% |
| 1952 | 20.4% | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 21.5% | +5.1% |
| 1954 | 21.3% | -0.7% |
| 1955 | 21.2% | -0.6% |
| 1956 | 22.4% | +5.4% |
| 1957 | 22.2% | -0.8% |
| 1958 | 21.9% | -1.0% |
| 1959 | 21.4% | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 12.5% | -41.6% |
| 1991 | 13.8% | +10.5% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -11.7% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | +30.0% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 15.2% | +5.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 15.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.2%, 94% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 15.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 21.4% | 21.4% | 21.4% | 1 |
| 1950s | 21.4% | 20.3% | 22.4% | 9 |
| 1980s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.0% | 12.2% | 13.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 15.8% | 15.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 14.4% | 15.2% | 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 income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana?
- Income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana was 15.2% in 2016, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 1956.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.2% in 1998.
- How does Ghana rank for income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Ghana ranks 51st out of 113 countries with data for 2016.
- Is income share of the richest 1% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.