Polity · 1957 CE – present
Ghana
Gana · Gaana
Also recorded as Republic of Ghana
- Peak recorded area
- 239,047 km²
- 1956 CE
- Rulers on record
- 23
- from 1957 CE
- Data series
- 402
- 1957 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated with the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to the east. Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km2 (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse ecologies, from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
5 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. Cliopatria holds 4 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 60 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population217 obs · 1870 CE–2025 CE | 35.1Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 65.89years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -17.1Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 1.81% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 68.36years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 63.49years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 162 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 4,556int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP per capita126 obs · 1885 CE–2022 CE | 4,242.412011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 114.2Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Real Wage98 obs · 1850 CE–1993 CE | 8.86index (1500=1)1993 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Agriculture % GDP66 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 21.28% of GDP2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Asses Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 15.3Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 32 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP128 obs · 1958 CE–2024 CE | 0.384% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| Military Expenditure Constant Usd65 obs · 1958 CE–2024 CE | 279.17millions_usd_20232024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| Military Expenditure Usd64 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 268.7Mcurrent US$2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| CINC Score60 obs · 1957 CE–2016 CE | 0.0013CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption60 obs · 1957 CE–2016 CE | 8.5Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production60 obs · 1957 CE–2016 CE | 25Ktons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 59 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 20.7% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Oil Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 62.68TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 35.19% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 55.39%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.1394hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 12.6Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 28 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index123 obs · 1902 CE–2024 CE | 0.669index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index123 obs · 1902 CE–2024 CE | 0.567index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index123 obs · 1902 CE–2024 CE | 0.32index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type123 obs · 1902 CE–2024 CE | 2RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index123 obs · 1902 CE–2024 CE | 0.532index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity253 obs · 1960 CE–2012 CE | 8index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 61 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Tech Railway Line Km137 obs · 1862 CE–1998 CE | 925km1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Freedom Of Expression Index123 obs · 1902 CE–2024 CE | 0.863index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Mail Items72 obs · 1900 CE–1982 CE | 97items1982 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Telegraph56 obs · 1900 CE–1979 CE | 1.76count1979 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Telephones53 obs · 1924 CE–1988 CE | 75Kcount1988 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10052 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 98.81per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
23 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Charles Arden-ClarkePresident of Ghana1957 CE
- Kwame NkrumahPresident of Ghana1960 CE – 1966 CE
- Joseph Arthur AnkrahPresident of Ghana1966 CE – 1969 CE
- Akwasi AfrifaPresident of Ghana1969 CE – 1970 CE
- Edward Akufo-AddoPresident of Ghana1970 CE – 1972 CE
- Nii Amaa OllennuPresident of Ghana1970 CE
- Ignatius Kutu AcheampongPresident of Ghana1972 CE – 1978 CE
- Fred AkuffoPresident of Ghana1978 CE – 1979 CE
- Hilla LimannPresident of Ghana1979 CE – 1981 CE
- Jerry RawlingsPresident of Ghana1979 CE
- Joseph W.S. de Graft-JohnsonVice President of the Republic of Ghana1979 CE – 1981 CE
- Kow Nkensen ArkaahVice President of the Republic of Ghana1993 CE – 1997 CE
- John Evans Atta MillsVice President of the Republic of Ghana1997 CE – 2001 CE
- Aliu MahamaVice President of the Republic of Ghana2001 CE – 2009 CE
- John KufuorPresident of Ghana2001 CE – 2009 CE
- John Evans Atta MillsPresident of Ghana2009 CE – 2012 CE
- John MahamaVice President of the Republic of Ghana2009 CE – 2012 CE
- John MahamaHead of State2012 CE – 2017 CE
- Kwesi Amissah-ArthurVice President of the Republic of Ghana2012 CE – 2017 CE
- Mahamudu BawumiaVice President of the Republic of Ghana2017 CE –
- Nana Akufo-AddoHead of Government2017 CE –
- Nana Akufo-AddoHead of State2017 CE – 2025 CE
- Jane Naana Opoku-AgyemangVice President of the Republic of Ghana2025 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
- Government type
- presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President John Dramani MAHAMA (since 7 January 2025); head of government: President John Dramani MAHAMA (since 7 January 2025); cabinet: Council of Ministers; nominated by the president, approved by Parliament;
- Ethnic groups
- Akan 45.7%, Mole-Dagbani 18.5%, Ewe 12.8%, Ga-Dangme 7.1%, Gurma 6.4%, Guan 3.2%, Grusi 2.7%, Mande 2%, other 1.6% (2021 est.)
- Natural resources
- gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
- Economy
- West African lower-middle income economy; major gold, oil and cocoa exporter; macroeconomic challenges following nearly four decades of sustained growth; recent progress in debt restructuring, fiscal reforms, financial stability, and curbing runaway inflation under 2023-26 IMF credit facility program
Language & currency
- Currency
- cedis (GHC)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1957 CE –
- Commonwealth of NationsCWInternational organisation · member1957 CE –
- Non-Aligned MovementNAMInternational organisation · founding member1961 CE –
- Mali–Guinea–Ghana Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1961 CE – 1963 CE
- ECOWASECOWASEconomic bloc · founding member1975 CE –
- 16-member Non-Aggression Pact (1977)Historical alliance · member1978 CE – 1981 CE
- 16-member Defense Pact (1981)Military alliance · member1981 CE –
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member2002 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0