Ghana’s population is increasing by an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 people annually, with the country’s total population currently standing at approximately 33.7 million, Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu has disclosed.
He said Ghana’s annual population growth rate currently stands at 2.1 per cent, a trend that could see the population double in about 33 years if sustained.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Wednesday, November 4, Dr Iddrisu said the annual increase reflects the number of people being added to the country’s population.
“As we speak now, Ghana is home to about 33.7 million people, and the estimates show that every year, we add on about 500,000 to 700,000 people every year,” he said.
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He explained that although Ghana’s population continues to grow, the rate of growth has declined compared with previous years.
According to him, a growth rate of 2.7 per cent would have meant the population doubled in approximately 26 years, while a rate of 2.5 per cent would have resulted in a doubling period of about 28 years.
Dr Iddrisu also highlighted changes in the country’s population distribution, pointing to a steady shift from rural communities to urban centres.
He said urban residents accounted for 32 per cent of Ghana’s population in 1984, while 68 per cent lived in rural areas.
By 2000, the urban population had increased to 43 per cent before overtaking the rural population in 2010, when it represented 50.9 per cent of the total population.
The 2021 Population and Housing Census put the urban population at 56.7 per cent, compared with 43 per cent in rural communities.
Dr Iddrisu said current estimates suggest that approximately 60 per cent of Ghana’s 33.7 million people now live in urban areas.