Labor force participation rate in Ghana
Ghana: Labor force participation rate was 58.52 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
58.52
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
115th
of 186 countries
All-time high
73.07
in 1990
All-time low
58.52
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Ghana, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 58.52 for labor force participation rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Ghana peaked at 73.07 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 58.52, in 2025.
Ghana ranks 115th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 73.07 | — |
| 1991 | 73.06 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 72.99 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 72.93 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 72.87 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 72.8 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 72.74 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 72.68 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 72.61 | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 72.55 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 72.49 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 72.42 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 72.36 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 72.29 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 72.23 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 72.17 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 72.1 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 72.04 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 71.97 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 71.91 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 71.84 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 71.78 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 71.72 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 71.65 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 70.47 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 69.25 | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 68.07 | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 66.86 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 65.28 | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 63.71 | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 61.62 | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 60.39 | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 59.1 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 59.07 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 59.06 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 58.52 | -0.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 58.52 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 58.52 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.31, 91% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.83 | 72.55 | 73.07 | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.2 | 71.91 | 72.49 | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.06 | 63.71 | 71.84 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.63 | 58.52 | 61.62 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More work & labour data for Ghana
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1512 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1464 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1562 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.2734 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 37,518 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 13,752 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 34,429 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,119 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 67,548 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Ghana?
- Labor force participation rate in Ghana was 58.52 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 73.07 in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.52 in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for labor force participation rate?
- Ghana ranks 115th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).