National Facts
|
Full Name |
Republic of Ghana |
|
Capital |
Accra |
|
Largest City |
Accra |
Most Populous Cities
|
Accra |
|
Kumasi |
|
Tamale |
|
Tema |
|
Teshie |
|
Cape Coast |
|
Obuasi |
|
Takoradi |
|
Sekondi |
|
Koforidua |
Location Data
|
Continent |
Africa |
|
Time Zone(s) |
UTC-+0 |
|
Calling Code |
+233 |
|
ISO 2 Code |
GH |
|
ISO 3 Code |
GHA |
|
FIPS code |
GH |
|
IOC code |
GHA |
|
FIFA Code |
GHA |
Key Facts
|
National Anthem |
God Bless Our Homeland Ghana |
|
Primary Language |
English |
|
Demonym |
Ghanaian |
|
Drives On the right side of the road |
|
|
Motto |
Freedom and Justice |
|
Voting Age |
18 |
|
Drinking Age |
18 |
|
Age of Consent |
16 |
Travel Requirements
|
Tourist Visa Required |
Yes |
|
Business Visa Required |
Yes |
|
Maximum Stay |
90 days |
Recommended Vaccines
|
Hepatitis A |
|
Hepatitis B |
|
Meningococcal (meningitis) |
|
Rabies |
Visitor Etiquette
|
Say thank you |
|
|
Attire |
Conservative dress |
|
Tip (Restaurant) |
10% - 5% only for great service |
|
Accept all offers of food and drink |
|
|
Give host a gift |
|
Type of Government
|
Constitutional |
|
Presidential |
|
Republic |
|
Chief Executive |
John Dramani Mahama |
|
President |
John Dramani Mahama |
|
Second Chief Executive |
Kwesi Amissah-Arthur |
|
Vice President |
Kwesi Amissah-Arthur |
Executive Details
|
Last Executive Election |
2012 |
|
Term length |
4 years |
Legislative Details
|
Legislature Size |
275 members |
|
Last Legislative Election |
2012 |
Political Facts
Controlling Political Parties
|
National Democratic Congress |
Foreign Affairs
|
OECD Member |
No |
|
Member of the United Nations |
Yes |
|
Security Council Member |
No |
Cabinet Members
|
Foreign Minister & Regional Integration |
Hanna Tetteh |
|
Defence Minister |
Mark Owen Woyongo |
|
Justice Minister & Attorney Gen. |
Marietta Brew-Appiah-Oppong |
|
Finance Minister & Economic Planning |
Seth Terkper |
Ghana Economy
|
GDP |
$75.7 Billion |
|
GDP Growth Rate |
14% |
|
GDP Per Capita |
$3,400 |
|
GDP Per Capita Growth |
5% |
Ghana's gross domestic product (GDP) is $75,660,000,000. Ghana's GDP per capita is $3,400, which is 67% lower than the world average of $10,200.
|
GINI Coefficient |
39.4 |
|
Inflation Rate |
9.2% |
|
Unemployment Rate |
11% |
|
Current Account Balance |
$-3.67 Billion |
Ghana's very high inflation rate, 9.2%, and its high unemployment rate, 11% could spell out a looming economic disaster. Fortunately, Ghana's high GDP growth rate of 14% might help to lower unemployment and ultimately allow the economy to catch up with its rising prices. In an attempt to lower inflation, Ghana's central bank might try to raise interest rates and thus discourage the creation of money.
Trade
|
Trade (% of GDP) |
95.96% |
|
Merchandise Imports |
$17,560,000,000 |
|
Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP) |
0.99% |
|
Merchandise Exports |
$13,730,000,000 |
|
Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) |
0.99% |
|
Average Tariff |
15% |
|
Animal and Fish |
16.85% |
|
Food, Beverage, Tobacco Products |
17% |
|
Textiles |
30.54% |
Industry and Business
|
Start-up procedures to register a Business |
7 procedures |
|
Industrial Production Growth |
7% |
|
Industry, Value Added (annual % growth) |
7.01 |
|
Industry, Value Added (% of GDP) |
27 |
|
Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) |
6% |
|
Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) |
22% |
|
Cost of Business Start-up Procedures (% GNI) |
18% |
Currency
|
Currency |
Cedi |
|
Currency Code |
GHS |
Debt and Credit
|
Foreign Exchange Reserves |
$5,805,000,000 |
|
External Debt |
$8.835 billion, 2012. (AFRODAD) |
|
Public Debt (% of GDP) |
49% |
Gross Capital
|
Gross capital formation (current US$) |
$2,147,483,647 |
|
Gross capital formation (% of GDP) |
18.79% |
|
Gross domestic savings (% of GDP) |
5.94% |
|
Gross Fixed Capital Formation (current US$) |
$2,147,483,647 |
|
Gross fixed capital formation (% of GDP) |
18.79% |
GDP and GNI Historical Data Source: World Bank 2012
Society & Demographics
|
Population |
24,652,402 |
|
Median Age |
20.7 years old |
|
Labour Force |
11,440,000 |
|
Net Migration Rate |
-0.56 per 1000 people |
|
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons |
11,585 |
|
Birth Rate |
32 per 1000 people |
|
Death Rate |
8 per 1000 people |
|
Fertility Rate |
4.12 child(ren) per woman |
Fertility rate can be used to measure the potential for population change in a country. Ghana's fertility rate is 4.12 child(ren) per woman. Such a high fertility rate means Ghana's population is both growing rapidly in size and declining in median age, which is currently 20.7 years old. This could potentially spell out hard times for families struggling to feed and educate their children and for women trying to enter the labour force.
|
Average Sex Ratio |
0.98 male(s) per female |
|
Total Females |
12,762,573 |
|
Total Males |
12,437,036 |
Population by Region
|
Rural Population |
12,043,540 |
|
Rural Population Growth (annual %) |
0.81% |
|
Urban Population |
13,322,922 |
|
Urban Population Growth (annual %) |
3.43% |
Crime and Poverty
|
Population below Poverty Line |
29% |
|
Homicide Rate |
15.67 per 100,000 people |
Homicide Rate Source, Public Health, WHO, 2008
|
Homicide Count |
3,646 homicides |
Homicide Count Source, Public Health, WHO, 2008
Serial Killers
|
Name |
Murders |
Victim Type |
|
Charles Papa Kwabena Ebo Quansah |
9 |
Friends, Young Women |
Ghana Sports
|
Total Silver |
1 |
|
Total Bronze |
3 |
|
Medals per Million People |
0.16 |
|
Ghana FIFA Rank |
#24 |
|
All Time Winning Percentage |
48.02% |
|
World Cup Championships |
0 |
Key Education Facts
|
Literacy Rate |
67% |
|
Literacy Rate Rank (out of 215 countries) |
#178 |
|
Education Index |
0.596 |
Primary School Facts
|
Primary Education Duration |
6 years |
|
Primary School Starting Age |
6 years old |
Secondary School Facts
|
Secondary School Duration |
6 years |
|
Secondary School Starting Age |
12 years old |
Ghanaian Nobel Laureates
|
Kofi Annan |
|
|
Subject |
Peace |
|
Field of Study |
Economics |
|
Reason |
For his work for a better organized and more peaceful world |
Key Health Facts
|
Life Expectancy Rank (out of 194 countries) |
#152 |
|
Infant Mortality Rate |
41 deaths/1000 births |
|
Infant Mortality Rank (out of 194 countries) |
#146 |
|
Health Index 2012 |
0.703 |
According to the International Human Development Index, Ghana's health index value of 0.703 indicates low human development.
|
Depth of the Food Deficit |
19 kilocalories per person per day |
|
Obesity Adult Prevalence |
7.5% |
|
Survival to Age 65, Female (% of cohort) |
56.91% |
|
Survival to Age 65, Male (% of cohort) |
52.98% |
Disease
Incidence of tuberculosis is the estimated number of new pulmonary, smear positive, and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis cases. Incidence includes patients with HIV.
Tuberculosis case detection rate (all forms) is the percentage of newly notified tuberculosis cases (including relapses) to estimated incident cases (case detection, all forms).
Source: World Bank
Treatment
Tuberculosis Treatment Success Rate
Tuberculosis treatment success rate is the percentage of new, registered smear-positive (infectious) cases that were cured or in which a full course of treatment was completed. Source: World Bank
Child immunization measures the percentage of children ages 12-23 months who received vaccinations before 12 months or at any time before the survey. A child is considered adequately immunized against measles after receiving one dose of vaccine.
HIV/AIDs Facts
|
HIV/AIDS Deaths |
18,000 |
|
HIV/AIDS Adult Rate |
1.8% |
|
People Living with HIV/AIDS |
260,000 |
Internet
|
Internet Percent |
5.26% |
With 5.26% percent of Ghana using the internet, Ghana is 22.15% below the global average. This means that there are approximately 1,297,000 Ghanaian internet users.
|
Secure Internet Servers |
75 |
|
Secure Internet Servers (per 1 million people) |
3 per million people |
|
Internet Hosts |
59,086 |
|
Internet TLD |
.gh |
Key Energy Facts
|
Net Generation |
8.76 bn kw/h |
|
Per Capita Net Generation |
373.98 kw/h |
|
Proven Natural Gas Reserves |
22,650,000,000 cubic meters |
|
Proven Oil Reserves |
660,000,000 barrels |
Ghana Environment
|
Total CO2 emissions |
7,444 kilotons |
|
Per Capita CO2 Emissions |
0.3142 metric tons |
Geography
|
Area (km) |
238,533 square kilometres |
|
Area (m) |
92,098 square miles |
|
Area Rank (out of 194 countries) |
78 |
|
Coastline |
539 miles |
Ghana Military History
Military Spending
|
Military Expenditure (% of GDP) |
1.7% |
|
Military Spending |
$1,286,220,000 |
Military Manpower
|
Total Fit for Military Service |
8,357,167 |
|
Female Fit for Military Service |
4,136,406 |
|
Male Fit for Military Service |
4,220,761 |
Military Branches and Regulations
Military Branches
Ghana Army; Ghana Navy; Ghana Air Force
Conscription Regulations
18-26 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription; must be HIV/AIDS negative (2012)
