Ghana’s population growth rate drops to 2.1%, population to double in 33 years – Gov’t Statistician
Ghana’s annual population growth rate has declined to 2.1 per cent, extending the period within which the country’s population is expected to double to approximately 33 years, Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu has said. The Government Statistician also disclosed that Ghana currently has an estimated population of 33.7 million, with between 500,000 and 700,000 people added each year.
Ghana’s annual population growth rate has declined to 2.1 per cent, extending the period within which the country’s population is expected to double to approximately 33 years, Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu has said.
He explained that the current growth rate was lower than figures recorded in previous years, slowing the pace of population expansion.
Dr Iddrisu said the latest rate means Ghana would need about 33 years to double its current population of 33.7 million.
“When you do the mathematics, you will see that we are now looking at an annual population growth rate of 2.1 per cent. But it used to be higher. And so, because we are now looking at a 2.1 per cent growth rate, it will take about 33 years for the population to double,” he said on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Wednesday, November.
Dr Iddrisu explained that a higher annual growth rate would have shortened the doubling period.
He said if the population were growing at 2.7 per cent annually, it would take approximately 26 years to double, while a growth rate of 2.5 per cent would result in a doubling period of about 28 years.
The Government Statistician also disclosed that Ghana currently has an estimated population of 33.7 million, with between 500,000 and 700,000 people added each year.
“As we speak now, Ghana is home to about 33.7 million people, and the estimates show that every year, we add on about 500,000 to 700,000 people every year.”
He further highlighted the country’s changing settlement patterns, noting that the proportion of people living in urban areas had increased significantly over the decades.
According to him, urban residents accounted for 32 per cent of the population in 1984, compared with 68 per cent in rural areas.
The urban population increased to 43 per cent in 2000 before overtaking the rural population in 2010, when it represented 50.9 per cent of the total population.
Data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census showed that 56.7 per cent of Ghanaians lived in urban areas, while 43 per cent resided in rural communities.
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