Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana
Ghana: Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 48.9% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Income share of the richest 10% 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 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana is 48.9%, measured in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana peaked at 62.9% in 1959 and was at its lowest, 44.7%, in 1988.
That places Ghana 29th out of 113 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 58.1% | — |
| 1951 | 58.7% | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 59.2% | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 60.2% | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 60.6% | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 61.0% | +0.6% |
| 1956 | 62.0% | +1.7% |
| 1957 | 62.3% | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 62.7% | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 62.9% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 44.7% | -28.9% |
| 1991 | 47.0% | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 45.7% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 49.8% | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 48.4% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 48.9% | +1.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 48.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47.1%, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 48.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.4%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -28.9% | 62.9% | 44.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 58.1% | 58.1% | 58.1% | 1 |
| 1950s | 61.1% | 58.7% | 62.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 44.7% | 44.7% | 44.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 46.4% | 45.7% | 47.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 49.8% | 49.8% | 49.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 48.6% | 48.4% | 48.9% | 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 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana?
- Income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Ghana was 48.9% 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 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 62.9% in 1959.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.7% in 1988.
- How does Ghana rank for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Ghana ranks 29th out of 113 countries with data for 2016.
- Is income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. 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 10% 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 10% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.