More than half of Ghana’s population now lives in urban areas, with about 19.8 million people recorded as urban residents in 2025, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The figure represents 58.7 per cent of the country’s population and is published in Ghana in Numbers, 2025, the GSS’s latest flagship report.
The publication combines data on population, housing and access to basic services. It is intended to show how settlement patterns are changing and support more effective planning across the country.
Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu said decisions about public investment should be informed by conditions in individual communities rather than national averages.
“Use local figures, not national averages, to decide where the next cedi goes, because averages hide differences,” he said.
Ghana’s urban population first exceeded its rural population in 2010. At that point, 12.55 million people lived in urban areas, compared with 12.11 million in rural communities.
The gap widened by 2021, when the urban population stood at 17.47 million and the rural population was 13.36 million. The urban figure is estimated to have risen to about 19.8 million in 2025.
Housing demand and access to services
The 2021 Population and Housing Census recorded about 10 million dwelling units. The GSS put Ghana’s housing deficit at 1.8 million units that year, an improvement from the estimated shortfall of about 2.8 million units in 2010.
The statistical service stressed that the deficit represents an estimate of the number of homes needed compared with those available. It does not assess the quality or affordability of housing, or account for vacant properties.
Average household size has also declined to 3.6 people, the lowest figure recorded. The report said that change could drive further demand for housing even if population growth begins to slow.
Access to essential services has expanded, although significant inequalities remain. Electricity coverage increased from 43.8 per cent in 2000 to 86.3 per cent in 2021.
Access to improved drinking water rose from 60.7 per cent to 92 per cent over the same period. Improved sanitation increased from 44.8 per cent in 2010 to 69 per cent in 2022.
However, 30.8 per cent of Ghana’s urban population continues to live in slums or informal settlements. The report also found that about one in seven households has no electricity, while almost one in three does not have an improved toilet.
The GSS said national coverage figures should be examined alongside the conditions people face in their local areas.
It added that housing and basic service requirements vary between districts, with district-level data helping to locate the communities facing the largest shortages in housing, water, sanitation and electricity.
Dr Iddrisu said population data should help determine “where schools, clinics and homes must go”.
The Ghana in Numbers, 2025 publication and related district data are available through the GSS website, StatsBank, the Ghana in Numbers web portal and the GSS Stats App.
