Unemployment rate in Ghana
Ghana: Unemployment rate was 2.98 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Ghana, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in Ghana stood at 2.98.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 56.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Ghana peaked at 10.46 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.17, in 2013.
That places Ghana 147th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.49 | — |
| 1992 | 4.7 | +34.7% |
| 1993 | 5.23 | +11.3% |
| 1994 | 5.9 | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 6.48 | +9.9% |
| 1996 | 7.09 | +9.4% |
| 1997 | 7.64 | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 8.2 | +7.3% |
| 1999 | 10.1 | +23.2% |
| 2000 | 10.46 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 9.62 | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 8.71 | -9.4% |
| 2003 | 7.73 | -11.3% |
| 2004 | 6.76 | -12.6% |
| 2005 | 5.82 | -13.9% |
| 2006 | 4.9 | -15.8% |
| 2007 | 5.1 | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 5.14 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 5.36 | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 5.38 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 4.21 | -21.7% |
| 2012 | 3.13 | -25.8% |
| 2013 | 2.17 | -30.5% |
| 2014 | 4.4 | +102.6% |
| 2015 | 6.81 | +54.6% |
| 2016 | 5.26 | -22.8% |
| 2017 | 3.37 | -35.9% |
| 2018 | 3.2 | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 3.07 | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 3.18 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 3.2 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 2.87 | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 2.83 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 2.82 | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 2.98 | +5.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 2.98 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 59% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 2.98 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45, 55% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +102.6% | 2.17 | 4.4 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.54 | 3.49 | 10.1 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.96 | 4.9 | 10.46 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1 | 2.17 | 6.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.98 | 2.82 | 3.2 | 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 unemployment rate in Ghana?
- Unemployment rate in Ghana was 2.98 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 10.46 in 2000.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.17 in 2013.
- How does Ghana rank for unemployment rate?
- Ghana ranks 147th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.2%. 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 Unemployment 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).