Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Employment in Ghana - statistics & facts
Around 66 percent of the working-age people in Ghana were dependent as of 2023. Although the age dependency ratio has decreased over the last years, it has remained a force to reckon with. The large dependency is particularly due to the high unemployment rate in the country. The number of unemployed people in Ghana reached nearly 592,000 as of 2023, the majority of which were women. In view of the rising state of joblessness, ruling governments often develop employment alleviation strategies.
Overall, while the country faces persistent employment challenges, the rising trend in self-employment and sectoral diversification provides a promising outlook for the future.
Slow but promising growth of self-employment
The situation of unemployment in Ghana has generally encouraged the setting up of new businesses in recent years. Notably, the country is one of the leading nations in Africa for startups. In 2024, 522 startups were counted in Ghana. To start a new business, an estimated number of 12.4 days were needed as of 2024, which encourages self-employment. Employers made up some 3.3 percent of the total employment in Ghana in 2023. Male employers covered 3.6 percent of the total male employment, while self-employed women accounted for nearly three percent of the country's female employment. On the whole, self-employment figures have slowly increased in Ghana over the last decade. Some common areas of self-employment are farming, craft, and food processing.Economic sector contributions to employment
Employment in Ghana is driven by the service sector, which occupied around 41 percent of the country’s total employment in 2022. On the other hand, the agricultural and industry sectors covered roughly 40 percent and 19 percent of the total employment, respectively. Some main industries of work in the country include travel and tourism, arts and entertainment, and health. As of 2022, the travel and tourism industry represented 5.7 percent of Ghana’s total employment. Also, employees in the health and social work industry reached around 261,000 in 2021, while the arts and entertainment industry registered an employee base of approximately 87,300. Generally, the informal sector accounts for the largest proportion of workers in Ghana, compared to formal sector employment. This includes home-based and contributing family workers.Overall, while the country faces persistent employment challenges, the rising trend in self-employment and sectoral diversification provides a promising outlook for the future.
