Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state, but he died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president, John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election.
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
8 00 N, 2 00 W
Africa
total: 238,533 sq km
land: 227,533 sq km
water: 11,000 sq km
slightly smaller than Oregon
total: 2,420 km
border countries (3): Burkina Faso 602 km, Cote d'Ivoire 720 km, Togo 1,098 km
539 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
mean elevation: 190 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 885 m
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
agricultural land: 69.1%
arable land 20.7%; permanent crops 11.9%; permanent pasture 36.5%
forest: 21.2%
other: 9.7% (2011 est.)
340 sq km (2012)
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds from January to March; droughts
recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake (manmade reservoir) by surface area (8,482 sq km; 3,275 sq mi); the lake was created following the completion of the Akosombo Dam in 1965, which holds back the White Volta and Black Volta Rivers
2.18% (2016 est.)
26,908,262
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.)
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian
Akan 47.5%, Mole-Dagbon 16.6%, Ewe 13.9%, Ga-Dangme 7.4%, Gurma 5.7%, Guan 3.7%, Grusi 2.5%, Mande 1.1%, other 1.4% (2010 est.)
Asante 16%, Ewe 14%, Fante 11.6%, Boron (Brong) 4.9%, Dagomba 4.4%, Dangme 4.2%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.9%, Kokomba 3.5%, Akyem 3.2%, Ga 3.1%, other 31.2%
note: English is the official language (2010 est.)
Christian 71.2% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 28.3%, Protestant 18.4%, Catholic 13.1%, other 11.4%), Muslim 17.6%, traditional 5.2%, other 0.8%, none 5.2% (2010 est.)
Ghana has a young age structure, with approximately 57% of the population under the age of 25. Its total fertility rate fell significantly during the 1980s and 1990s but has stalled at around four children per woman for the last few years. Fertility remains higher in the northern region than the Greater Accra region. On average, desired fertility has remained stable for several years; urban dwellers want fewer children than rural residents. Increased life expectancy, due to better health care, nutrition, and hygiene, and reduced fertility have increased Ghana’s share of elderly persons; Ghana’s proportion of persons aged 60+ is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty has declined in Ghana, but it remains pervasive in the northern region, which is susceptible to droughts and floods and has less access to transportation infrastructure, markets, fertile farming land, and industrial centers. The northern region also has lower school enrollment, higher illiteracy, and fewer opportunities for women.
Ghana was a country of immigration in the early years after its 1957 independence, attracting labor migrants largely from Nigeria and other neighboring countries to mine minerals and harvest cocoa – immigrants composed about 12% of Ghana’s population in 1960. In the late 1960s, worsening economic and social conditions discouraged immigration, and hundreds of thousands of immigrants, mostly Nigerians, were expelled.
During the 1970s, severe drought and an economic downturn transformed Ghana into a country of emigration; neighboring Cote d’Ivoire was the initial destination. Later, hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians migrated to Nigeria to work in its booming oil industry, but most were deported in 1983 and 1985 as oil prices plummeted. Many Ghanaians then turned to more distant destinations, including other parts of Africa, Europe, and North America, but the majority continued to migrate within West Africa. Since the 1990s, increased emigration of skilled Ghanaians, especially to the US and the UK, drained the country of its health care and education professionals. Internally, poverty and other developmental disparities continue to drive Ghanaians from the north to the south, particularly to its urban centers.
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,164,505/female 5,113,185)
15-24 years: 18.66% (male 2,498,185/female 2,522,353)
25-54 years: 34.05% (male 4,445,321/female 4,716,311)
55-64 years: 4.91% (male 642,984/female 678,784)
65 years and over: 4.19% (male 520,589/female 606,045) (2016 est.)
total dependency ratio: 73%
youth dependency ratio: 67.2%
elderly dependency ratio: 5.9%
potential support ratio: 17% (2015 est.)
total: 21 years
male: 20.5 years
female: 21.5 years (2016 est.)
30.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
urban population: 54% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 3.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Kumasi 2.599 million; ACCRA (capital) 2.277 million (2015)
total number: 1,806,750
percentage: 34% (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
319 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
total: 36.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 40.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 32.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 66.6 years
male: 64.1 years
female: 69.1 years (2016 est.)
4.03 children born/woman (2016 est.)
19.5% (2013)
3.6% of GDP (2014)
0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
0.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)
improved:
urban: 92.6% of population
rural: 84% of population
total: 88.7% of population
unimproved:
urban: 7.4% of population
rural: 16% of population
total: 11.3% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 20.2% of population
rural: 8.6% of population
total: 14.9% of population
unimproved:
urban: 79.8% of population
rural: 91.4% of population
total: 85.1% of population (2015 est.)
1.61% (2015 est.)
274,600 (2015 est.)
12,600 (2015 est.)
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)
10.9% (2014)
11% (2014)
6.2% of GDP (2014)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.6%
male: 82%
female: 71.4% (2015 est.)
total: 11 years
male: 12 years
female: 11 years (2014)
22.6
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2014 est.)
total: 11.2%
male: 10.2%
female: 12% (2010 est.)
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast
etymology: named for the medieval West African kingdom of the same name, but whose location was actually further north than the modern country
presidential republic
name: Accra
geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
6 March 1957 (from the UK)
Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
several previous; latest drafted 31 March 1992, approved and promulgated 28 April 1992, entered into force 7 January 1993; amended 1996 (2016)
mixed system of English common law and customary law
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Ghana
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (since 7 January 2017); Vice President Mahamudu BAWUMIA (NPP) (since 7 January 2017); the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (since 7 January 2017); Vice President Mahamudu BAWUMIA (NPP) (since 7 January 2017)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; nominated by the president, approved by Parliament
elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 December 2016 (next to be held in December 2020)
election results: Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO elected president; percent of vote - Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (NPP) 54.1%, John Dramani MAHAMA (NDC) 44.0%, other 1.8%; note - results after 267 of 275 constituencies declared
description: unicameral Parliament (275 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 December 2016 (next to be held in December 2020)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDC 148, NPP 123, PNC 1, independent 3
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 12 justices)
judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president in consultation with the Council of State (a small advisory body of prominent citizens) and with the approval of Parliament; other justices appointed by the president upon the advice of the Judicial Council (an 18-member independent body of judicial, military and police officials, and presidential nominees) and on the advice of the Council of State; justices can retire at age 60, with compulsory retirement at age 70
subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Circuit Court; District Court; regional tribunals
Convention People's Party or CPP [Samia NKRUMAH]
National Democratic Congress or NDC [John Dramani MAHAMA]
New Patriotic Party or NPP [Nana AFUKO-ADDO]
People's National Convention or PNC [Hassan AYARIGA]
note: listed are four of the more popular political parties as of December 2012; there are more than 20 registered parties
Christian Aid (water rights)
Committee for Joint Action or CJA (social and economic issues)
National Coalition Against the Privatization of Water or CAP (water rights)
Oxfam (water rights)
Public Citizen (water rights)
Students Coalition Against EPA [Kwabena Ososukene OKAI] (education reform)
Third World Network (social and economic issues)
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Lt. Gen. Joseph Henry SMITH (since September 2014)
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520
FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527
consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert P. JACKSON (since 4 February 2016)
embassy: 24 Fourth Circular Rd., Cantonments, Accra
mailing address: P.O. Box 194, Accra
telephone: [233] 030-274-1000
FAX: [233] 030-274-1389
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green, with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; red symbolizes the blood shed for independence, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, while green stands for its forests and natural wealth; the black star is said to be the lodestar of African freedom
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band
black star, golden eagle; national colors: red, yellow, green, black
name: "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana"
lyrics/music: unknown/Philip GBEHO
note: music adopted 1957, lyrics adopted 1966; the lyrics were changed twice, in 1960 when a republic was declared and after a 1966 coup
-0.5% (2016 est.)
Ghana's economy was strengthened by a quarter century of relatively sound management, a competitive business environment, and sustained reductions in poverty levels, but in recent years has suffered the consequences of loose fiscal policy, high budget and
Agriculture accounts for about 20% of GDP and employs more than half of the workforce, mainly small landholders. Gold and cocoa exports, and individual remittances, are major sources of foreign exchange. Expansion of Ghana’s nascent oil industry has boost
As of 2016, the biggest single economic issue facing Ghana is the lack of consistent electricity. While the MAHAMA administration is taking steps to improve the situation, little progress has been made. Ghana signed a $920 million extended credit facility
$120.8 billion (2016 est.)
$116.9 billion (2015 est.)
$112.5 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
$42.76 billion (2015 est.)
3.3% (2016 est.)
3.9% (2015 est.)
4% (2014 est.)
$4,400 (2016 est.)
$4,300 (2015 est.)
$4,300 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
16.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
17.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
17% of GDP (2014 est.)
household consumption: 66.6%
government consumption: 19.6%
investment in fixed capital: 24.5%
investment in inventories: 0.8%
exports of goods and services: 36.7%
imports of goods and services: -48.2% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 19.5%
industry: 24%
services: 56.4% (2016 est.)
cocoa, rice, cassava (manioc, tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber
mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building, petroleum
11.99 million (2016 est.)
agriculture: 44.7%
industry: 14.4%
services: 40.9% (2013 est.)
5.2% (2013 est.)
24.2% (2013 est.)
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 32.8% (2006)
42.3 (2012-13)
41.9 (2005-06)
revenues: $9.068 billion
expenditures: $11.55 billion (2016 est.)
21.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
-5.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
73.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
71.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
calendar year
17.8% (2016 est.)
17.2% (2015 est.)
21% (31 December 2014)
16% (31 December 2013)
31.8% (31 December 2016 est.)
28.6% (31 December 2015 est.)
$5.914 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$5.736 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$13.02 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$12.42 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$13.39 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$12.93 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$3.465 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$3.097 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$3.531 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
-$2.693 billion (2016 est.)
-$2.836 billion (2015 est.)
$10.25 billion (2016 est.)
$10.36 billion (2015 est.)
oil, gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticultural products
India 25.2%, Switzerland 12.2%, China 10.6%, France 5.7% (2015)
$13.73 billion (2016 est.)
$13.47 billion (2015 est.)
capital equipment, refined petroleum, foodstuffs
China 32.6%, Nigeria 14%, Netherlands 5.5%, US 5.4% (2015)
$6.137 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$5.885 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$21.17 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$19.15 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$19.85 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$118 million (31 December 2012 est.)
$16.62 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
$109 million (31 December 2012 est.)
cedis (GHC) per US dollar -
3.992 (2016 est.)
3.712 (2015 est.)
3.712 (2014 est.)
2.895 (2013 est.)
1.8 (2012 est.)
population without electricity: 7,300,000
electrification - total population: 72%
electrification - urban areas: 92%
electrification - rural areas: 50% (2013)
13 billion kWh (2014 est.)
9.2 billion kWh (2014 est.)
500 million kWh (2014 est.)
51 million kWh (2014 est.)
2.847 million kW (2015 est.)
45.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
54.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
102,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
98,700 bbl/day (2013 est.)
26,040 bbl/day (2013 est.)
660 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
10,640 bbl/day (2013 est.)
83,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
1,977 bbl/day (2013 est.)
72,850 bbl/day (2013 est.)
50 million cu m (2014 est.)
650 million cu m (2014 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
600 million cu m (2014 est.)
22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es)
11 million Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 275,570
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (July 2015 est.)
total: 35.008 million
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 133 (July 2015 est.)
general assessment: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed; outdated and unreliable fixed-line infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra
domestic: competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with a subscribership of more than 130 per 100 persons and rising
international: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC, Main One, and GLO-1 fiber-optic submarine cables that provide connectivity to South Africa, Europe, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaf (2015)
state-owned TV station, 2 state-owned radio networks; several privately owned TV stations and a large number of privately owned radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are accessible; several cable and satellite TV subscriptio (2007)
.gh
total: 6.181 million
percent of population: 23.5% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 4
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 390,457
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 844,630 mt-km (2015)
9G (2016)
10 (2013)
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2013)
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2013)
gas 394 km; oil 20 km; refined products 361 km (2013)
total: 947 km
narrow gauge: 947 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)
total: 109,515 km
paved: 13,787 km
unpaved: 95,728 km (2009)
1,293 km (168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta) (2011)
total: 4
by type: petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3
foreign-owned: 2 (Brazil 1, South Korea 1) (2010)
major seaport(s): Takoradi, Tema
Ghana Army, Ghana Navy, Ghana Air Force (2012)
18-26 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription; must be HIV/AIDS negative (2012)
0.56% of GDP (2014)
0.61% of GDP (2013)
0.27% of GDP (2012)
disputed maritime border between Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire
refugees (country of origin): 11,419 (Cote d'Ivoire; flight from 2010 post-election fighting) (2016)
current situation: Ghana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the trafficking of Ghanians, particularly children, internally is more common than the trafficking of foreign nationals; Ghanian children are subjected to forced labor in fishing, domestic service, street hawking, begging, portering, mining, quarrying, herding, and agriculture, with girls, and to a lesser extent boys, forced into prostitution; Ghanian women, sometimes lured with legitimate job offers, and girls are sex trafficked in West Africa, the Middle East, and Europe; Ghanian men fraudulently recruited for work in the Middle East are subjected to forced labor or prostitution, and a few Ghanian adults have been identified as victims of false labor in the US; women and girls from Vietnam, China, and neighboring West African countries are sex trafficked in Ghana; the country is also a transit point for sex trafficking from West Africa to Europe
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Ghana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; Ghana continued to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses but was unable to ramp up its anti-trafficking efforts in 2014 because the government failed to provide law enforcement or protection agencies with operating budgets; victim protection efforts decreased in 2014, with significantly fewer victims identified; most child victims were referred to NGO-run facilities, but care for adults was lacking because the government did not provide any support to the country’s Human Trafficking Fund for victim services or its two shelters; anti-trafficking prevention measures increased modestly, including reconvening of the Human Trafficking Management Board, public awareness campaigns on child labor and trafficking, and anti-trafficking TV and radio programs (2015)
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and money-laundering problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center; significant domestic cocaine and cannabis use
