Employment by status in Ghana
Ghana: Employment by status was 32.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Ghana, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 32.1% for employment by status in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Ghana peaked at 32.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.9%, in 1991.
That places Ghana 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.9% | — |
| 1992 | 12.4% | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 13.0% | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 13.5% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 13.9% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 14.4% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 15.6% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 16.4% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 17.2% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 17.6% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 17.9% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 18.3% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 18.7% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 19.1% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 19.5% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 19.9% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 20.3% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 20.7% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 21.1% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 21.7% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 22.2% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 22.7% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 23.2% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 23.6% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 25.1% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 26.6% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 29.5% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 29.8% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 31.3% | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 31.6% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 31.9% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 32.1% | +0.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 32.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.3%, 91% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 32.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.0% | 11.9% | 16.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 17.2% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 21.1% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.3% | 29.8% | 32.1% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Ghana?
- Employment by status in Ghana was 32.1% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.9% in 1991.
- How does Ghana rank for employment by status?
- Ghana ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.