58.7% of Ghanaians now live in urban areas – GSS report

About 19.8 million people, or 58.7 per cent of Ghana’s population, lived in urban areas in 2025, according to Ghana in Numbers, 2025, the Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) new flagship publication.

The report brings together population, housing, and basic-service indicators to show how Ghana’s settlement pattern has changed and where local information is needed for planning. Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu said the figures should guide decisions at the level where people live. “Use local figures, not national averages, to decide where the next cedi goes, because averages hide differences,” he said.

Ghana became more urban than rural in 2010, when 12.55 million people lived in urban areas, and 12.11 million lived in rural areas. By 2021, the urban population had reached 17.47 million, compared with 13.36 million in rural areas. The 2025 projection places the urban population at about 19.8 million.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census counted about 10.0 million dwelling units. GSS estimated the housing deficit at about 1.8 million units in 2021, down from roughly 2.8 million in 2010. The report stressed that the deficit is an estimate based on the number of homes required and available, and does not by itself measure housing quality, affordability or the number of vacant homes. It noted that the average household size fell to 3.6 people, the lowest recorded level, which can increase the number of homes needed even when population growth slows.

The share of households with electricity rose from 43.8 per cent in 2000 to 86.3 per cent in 2021. Improved drinking water increased from 60.7 per cent to 92.0 per cent over the same period, while improved sanitation rose from 44.8 per cent in 2010 to 69.0 per cent in 2022. However, the report found that 30.8 per cent of the urban population lives in slums or informal settlements. About one household in seven still has no electricity, and almost one in three lacks an improved toilet.

These indicators show that national access rates and local living conditions need to be considered together.

Housing and service needs are not evenly distributed. District-level figures can identify the communities where gaps in housing, water, sanitation, electricity and other services are greatest. Dr Iddrisu said Ghana’s population statistics should help determine “where schools, clinics and homes must go”, with decisions based on local evidence rather than national averages alone.

Ghana in Numbers, 2025 provides a common reference for tracking urban growth, the estimated housing deficit, settlement conditions and access to basic services. The publication and related district data are available through the Ghana Statistical Service website, StatsBank, the Ghana in Numbers web portal and the GSS Stats App.