Population in the largest city in Ghana
Ghana: Population in the largest city was 19.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
19.5%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
115th
of 153 countries
All-time high
24.4%
in 1970
All-time low
15.8%
in 2011
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Ghana, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Ghana is 19.5%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Ghana peaked at 24.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 2011.
That places Ghana 115th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 24.2% | — |
| 1961 | 24.0% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 23.9% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 23.8% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 23.8% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 23.8% | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 23.9% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 23.9% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 24.1% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 24.3% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 24.4% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 24.2% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 24.1% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 24.0% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 23.9% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 23.8% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 23.7% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 23.6% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 23.5% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 23.4% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 23.3% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 23.2% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 23.1% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 22.9% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 22.8% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 22.8% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 22.7% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 22.5% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 22.3% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 22.1% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 21.8% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 21.5% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 20.9% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 20.6% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 20.1% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 19.9% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 19.7% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 19.6% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 19.3% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 18.9% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 18.5% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 18.1% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 17.8% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 17.4% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 17.1% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 16.8% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 16.5% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 16.2% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 15.9% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 16.4% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 17.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 17.7% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 18.4% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 18.7% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 18.9% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 19.1% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 19.3% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 19.4% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 19.5% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.0% | 23.8% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.8% | 23.4% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.8% | 22.1% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.6% | 19.6% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.7% | 16.2% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 15.8% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.2% | 18.7% | 19.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 112 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21.1% compare
- 113 France 20.9% compare
- 114 Belgium 20.5% compare
- 116 South Sudan 18.9% compare
- 117 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 18.8% compare
- 118 Canada 18.8% compare
More urban development data for Ghana
- Population density 148.5 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 28.14 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1946 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 6.82 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 3.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 28.25 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 4.04 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.49 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 232.51 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Ghana?
- Population in the largest city in Ghana was 19.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 1970.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 2011.
- How does Ghana rank for population in the largest city?
- Ghana ranks 115th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.