Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana

Ghana: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 20.6% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
20.6%
World rank
7th
of 130 countries
All-time high
20.6%
in 2016
All-time low
13.4%
in 1991
Years of data
7
1987–2016

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana, 1987–2016

051015201987200120161987: 14.11988: 13.71991: 13.41998: 16.22005: 182012: 18.12016: 20.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2016, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana stood at 20.6%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana peaked at 20.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 1991.

That places Ghana 7th out of 130 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in Ghana, 1987 to 2016.
Year Value Change
1987 14.1%
1988 13.7% -2.8%
1991 13.4% -2.2%
1998 16.2% +20.9%
2005 18.0% +11.1%
2012 18.1% +0.6%
2016 20.6% +13.8%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 20.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.6%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 20.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.1%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 13.9% 13.7% 14.1% 2
1990s 14.8% 13.4% 16.2% 2
2000s 18.0% 18.0% 18.0% 1
2010s 19.4% 18.1% 20.6% 2

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 4 Zambia 21.9% compare
  2. 5 Brazil 21.2% compare
  3. 6 Israel 21.0% compare
  4. 8 Botswana 20.4% compare
  5. 8 South Africa 20.4% compare
  6. 10 Costa Rica 20.0% compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More infrastructure data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana?
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana was 20.6% in 2016, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2016.
What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 1991.
How does Ghana rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
Ghana ranks 7th out of 130 countries with data for 2016.
Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent-2/ghana/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
131 places, 2,510 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed