Rural population in Ghana
Ghana: Rural population was 41.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Ghana, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 41.1% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Ghana peaked at 76.7% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 41.1%, in 2025.
Ghana ranks 86th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 76.7% | — |
| 1961 | 76.1% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 75.4% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 74.7% | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 74.0% | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 73.4% | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 72.8% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 72.3% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 71.8% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 71.4% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 71.0% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 70.7% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 70.5% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 70.2% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 70.0% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 69.9% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 69.7% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 69.5% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 69.3% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 69.2% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 69.0% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 68.8% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 68.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 68.2% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 67.9% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 67.5% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 67.0% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 66.4% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 65.7% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 65.0% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 64.3% | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 63.5% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 62.6% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 61.8% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 60.9% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 60.0% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 59.2% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 58.4% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 57.5% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 56.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 56.1% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 55.4% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 54.7% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 53.9% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 53.2% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 52.5% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 51.9% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 51.2% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 50.5% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 49.9% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 49.3% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 48.7% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 48.1% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 47.5% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 46.9% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 46.4% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 45.8% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 45.3% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 44.8% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 44.3% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 43.8% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 43.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 42.7% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 42.2% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 41.6% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 41.1% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 73.9% | 71.4% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 70.0% | 69.2% | 71.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.4% | 65.0% | 69.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.5% | 56.8% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.9% | 49.9% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.7% | 44.3% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.5% | 41.1% | 43.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Ghana?
- Rural population in Ghana was 41.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 76.7% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.1% in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for rural population?
- Ghana ranks 86th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.