WESTERN AFRICA

Ghana

Accra · pop. 34M · English · Ghanaian cedi

Trajectories

economic complexity

#125

Roughly steady in the rankings since 1995.

2024 · −1.14

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995low	−1.68
1996	−1.37	+0.32 pts
1997	−1.35	+0.02 pts
1998	−1.47	−0.12 pts
1999	−1.35	+0.12 pts
2000	−1.23	+0.12 pts
2001	−1.12	+0.11 pts
2002	−1.59	−0.47 pts
2003	−1.19	+0.40 pts
2004	−1.40	−0.21 pts
2005	−1.31	+0.09 pts
2006	−1.29	+0.02 pts
2007	−0.97	+0.32 pts
2008	−0.86	+0.11 pts
2009	−0.90	−0.04 pts
2010	−0.70	+0.20 pts
2011	−1.00	−0.30 pts
2012	−1.01	−0.01 pts
2013high	−0.65	+0.36 pts
2014	−0.68	−0.03 pts
2015	−0.86	−0.18 pts
2016	−1.03	−0.17 pts
2017	−1.06	−0.03 pts
2018	−1.10	−0.04 pts
2019	−1.03	+0.07 pts
2020	−1.15	−0.11 pts
2021	−0.95	+0.20 pts
2022	−0.71	+0.24 pts
2023	−0.81	−0.11 pts
2024latest	−1.14	−0.32 pts

economic momentum

$2,391

Quadrupled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $2,391

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	$383
1991	$418	+9.3%
1992	$396	−5.2%
1993	$360	−9.2%
1994	$321	−10.9%
1995	$372	+15.9%
1996	$389	+4.8%
1997	$378	−2.9%
1998	$400	+6.0%
1999	$403	+0.7%
2000low	$254	−37.0%
2001	$264	+3.9%
2002	$297	+12.9%
2003	$358	+20.5%
2004	$406	+13.3%
2005	$479	+17.8%
2006	$906	+89.4%
2007	$1,050	+15.9%
2008	$1,183	+12.6%
2009	$1,048	−11.4%
2010	$1,264	+20.6%
2011	$1,507	+19.3%
2012	$1,544	+2.4%
2013	$2,295	+48.6%
2014	$1,950	−15.0%
2015	$1,723	−11.6%
2016	$1,912	+11.0%
2017	$2,012	+5.2%
2018	$2,195	+9.1%
2019	$2,187	−0.4%
2020	$2,195	+0.4%
2021high	$2,445	+11.4%
2022	$2,230	−8.8%
2023	$2,384	+6.9%
2024latest	$2,391	+0.3%

prices

22.8%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · 22.8%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	37.3%
1991	18.0%	−19.2 pts
1992	10.1%	−7.98 pts
1993	25.0%	+14.9 pts
1994	24.9%	−0.09 pts
1995high	59.5%	+34.6 pts
1996	46.6%	−12.9 pts
1997	27.9%	−18.7 pts
1998	14.6%	−13.3 pts
1999low	4.9%	−9.76 pts
2000	40.2%	+35.4 pts
2001	41.5%	+1.27 pts
2002	9.4%	−32.1 pts
2003	29.8%	+20.4 pts
2004	18.0%	−11.7 pts
2005	15.4%	−2.60 pts
2006	11.7%	−3.76 pts
2007	10.7%	−0.94 pts
2008	16.5%	+5.76 pts
2009	19.2%	+2.75 pts
2010	10.7%	−8.51 pts
2011	8.7%	−2.00 pts
2012	11.2%	+2.46 pts
2013	11.7%	+0.48 pts
2014	15.5%	+3.82 pts
2015	17.1%	+1.66 pts
2016	17.5%	+0.30 pts
2017	12.4%	−5.08 pts
2018	7.8%	−4.56 pts
2019	7.1%	−0.67 pts
2020	9.9%	+2.74 pts
2021	10.0%	+0.08 pts
2022	31.3%	+21.3 pts
2023	38.1%	+6.85 pts
2024latest	22.8%	−15.3 pts

demographic curve

3.3 children per woman

Above replacement: still growing. Fell from 6.5 in 1980.

2024 · 3.3

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960	6.9
1961	6.9	+0.3%
1962	6.9	+0.4%
1963	6.9	−0.1%
1964	6.9	−0.5%
1965	6.9	−0.3%
1966	6.9	−0.3%
1967	6.9	+0.5%
1968	6.9	0.0%
1969high	7.0	+0.9%
1970	7.0	0.0%
1971	6.9	−0.1%
1972	6.9	−0.4%
1973	6.9	−0.6%
1974	6.8	−0.7%
1975	6.8	−0.9%
1976	6.7	−0.9%
1977	6.6	−1.0%
1978	6.6	−1.1%
1979	6.5	−0.8%
1980	6.5	−0.6%
1981	6.4	−0.9%
1982	6.3	−1.6%
1983	6.2	−1.3%
1984	6.2	−1.2%
1985	6.1	−0.6%
1986	6.1	−0.6%
1987	6.0	−1.0%
1988	5.9	−1.7%
1989	5.8	−1.8%
1990	5.7	−1.4%
1991	5.6	−1.9%
1992	5.5	−2.0%
1993	5.4	−1.9%
1994	5.3	−3.0%
1995	5.1	−2.8%
1996	5.0	−2.9%
1997	4.9	−1.5%
1998	4.8	−1.1%
1999	4.8	−0.1%
2000	4.8	+0.1%
2001	4.8	−1.2%
2002	4.7	−1.7%
2003	4.6	−1.9%
2004	4.5	−2.0%
2005	4.5	−0.2%
2006	4.4	−2.2%
2007	4.3	−2.5%
2008	4.2	−1.7%
2009	4.2	−0.9%
2010	4.2	0.0%
2011	4.2	−0.1%
2012	4.2	−0.6%
2013	4.1	−1.0%
2014	4.0	−2.1%
2015	4.0	−1.2%
2016	3.9	−2.7%
2017	3.7	−4.1%
2018	3.6	−1.7%
2019	3.6	−1.6%
2020	3.5	−1.4%
2021	3.5	−1.4%
2022	3.4	−1.7%
2023	3.4	−1.1%
2024latest	3.3	−1.6%

Metrics

population

34M

43 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$81B

78 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$2,384

127 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$285M

113 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

0.4%

142 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

239K km²

83 of 176

REST Countries
population density

142 /km²

40 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

65.5 yr

147 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

70%

105 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

0.70 t

126 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

58%

104 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

3.3

42 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

1.5%

119 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

3.7%

55 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
researchers per million

87

97 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

3.1K

65 of 168

NSF / World Bank
high-tech exports %

2%

116 of 153

World Bank · UN Comtrade
gini inequality

43.5

121 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

6%

30 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

76%

76 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.61

39 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

42

67 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

21.3

27 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.628

117 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

7.5K

97 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

15K

49 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data