Demographics in Ghana

demographics in ghana

Ghana, officially known as the Republic of Ghana, is a West African Country, is located along the Atlantic Ocean & Gulf of Guinea. The meaning of ‘Ghana’ is ‘Warrior King’ with the motto Freedom & justice.

Ghana is a unitary democracy, i.e., the president of the country is the head of state & government. Ghana’s growing political power has made the country a regional power in West Africa. The country is a member of the non-aligned movement, African union, commonwealth nation & economic community of West African states of ECOWAS.

In this article, we will discuss the demographic dividend of Ghana.

Population of Ghana

Ghana has a population of 31,072,940 according to the 2010 census. The yearly contribution to the national population is 2.15% & the global population is 0.39%. The country has a world rank of 46 based on the population. 

Fertility in Ghana

The total fertility of Ghana is 3.9 live births per woman according to 2020 data. And the replacement level fertility is 2.1 per woman is considered as the native population is declining. Replacement level fertility refers to the fact that the number of children is born per woman without the need for international immigration.

Life expectancy in Ghana 

Life expectancy in Ghana is 64.9 years; the value came by combining both sexes. On the other hand, female life expectancy at birth is 66.1 years and male life expectancy at birth is quite lower than the females, which is 63.8 years.

The infant mortality rate in Ghana 

Infant mortality rate defines as the fact when children below the age of 1 year and die before reaching that age. And the infant mortality rate in Ghana is 30.8 per 1000 live births. And deaths under 5years of age are 44.7 per 1000 live births.

Religious practices in Ghana 

The population of the country spans over varieties of linguistic, ethnic & religious group. Out of the 30 million populations, 72.2% was Christian, 18.6% was Muslim, and 5.2% practices traditional faith, according to the 2010 census.

The urban population of Ghana 

According to the data of 2019, 56.1% of the population of Ghana lives in the urban area. And the rest of the population lives in rural & remotest places in Ghana.

The population density in Ghana 

The population density in Ghana is 134 people per KM square or we can say 346 people per meter square according to the 2019 data. The population density is measured considering the total land area of 227, 540 KM square or 87, 854 square miles. The largest population density is in the capital of Ghana, Accra with a population of 1,963,264, followed by Kumasi, tamale, Takoradi, etc.

Dependency ratio in Ghana 

The dependency ratio is achieved by calculating how many people are dependent on an earning family member. There are three types of age dependency ratio, youth, elderly & total. The youth population is the age group ranges between 0-15. On the other hand, the elderly population is referred to as the age group 65+. And the total age group is achieved by adding a youth & elderly age group.

Age structure in Ghana

5 age groups are considered as the age structure of Ghana. First, the age group of 0-14 years, out of the total population the percentage population of that age group is 37.83%. The second age group is 15-24 years, out of the total population there is 18.61% population of that age group. The third age group is 25-34, which is 34.21% of the population. In the fourth age group, 55-64 years, 5.05% of the population belongs to that age group. And lastly, 65+ years age group, there is 4.3% of the population belong to the age group. All these data are according to a survey conducted in 2018.

Ethnicity in Ghana

This is a multi-ethnic country with multi-religion. Ashanti people are the largest ethnic group in Ghana. The Guans were the very first settlers in Ghana before any other tribes had come & settled in the region. The bonoman was established by the Akans, and later it was joined with the current settlers. Major other ethnic groups that are settled in Ghana are Dagbani, Ewe, Gurma, Bissa, Ga-Adangbe, Gurunsi.

Languages in Ghana

Many languages are spoken throughout Ghana. Common languages in Ghana include Asante, Fante, Boron, Kokomba, Akyem, Dagomba, Ga, and few others. The English language is also spoken by many of the Ghanaian people as an official language.

Ghana is a diversified country with rich culture, values. The languages, ethnicity, religion vary widely among people.

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