Employment rate in Ghana
Ghana: Employment rate was 56.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment rate in Ghana, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 56.8% for employment rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Ghana peaked at 70.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 56.8%, in 2025.
Ghana ranks 97th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.0% | 65.2% | 70.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 67.2% | 64.9% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.2% | 61.8% | 70.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.8% | 56.8% | 59.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More work & labour data for Ghana
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 58.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 61.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 89.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 55.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 60.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 63.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 57.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Ghana?
- Employment rate in Ghana was 56.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment rate recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 70.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.8% in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for employment rate?
- Ghana ranks 97th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.