Completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana

Ghana: Completion rate, primary education, both sexes was 71.0% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
71.0%
World rank
30th
of 42 countries
All-time high
71.0%
in 2018
All-time low
57.8%
in 2003
Years of data
7
2003–2018

Completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana, 2003–2018

0204060802003201020182003: 57.8 %2006: 70.3 %2009: 65.1 %2010: 64.1 %2011: 65.6 %2014: 65.8 %2018: 71 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana is 71.0%, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is up 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 71.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 57.8%, in 2003.

Ghana ranks 30th of 42 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (%) in Ghana, 2003 to 2018.
Year % Change
2003 57.8% —
2006 70.3% +21.7%
2009 65.1% -7.4%
2010 64.1% -1.5%
2011 65.6% +2.2%
2014 65.8% +0.4%
2018 71.0% +7.8%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 71.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 73.6%, 96% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 71.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1%, 1.1× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 64.4% 57.8% 70.3% 3
2010s 66.6% 64.1% 71.0% 4

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 27 Cameroon 73.6% compare
  2. 28 Cambodia 72.3% compare
  3. 29 Zambia 72.1% compare
  4. 31 Nigeria 70.8% compare
  5. 32 Gambia 65.5% compare
  6. 33 Sierra Leone 64.1% compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana?
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana was 71.0% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest completion rate, primary education, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 71.0% in 2018.
What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 57.8% in 2003.
How does Ghana rank for completion rate, primary education, both sexes?
Ghana ranks 30th out of 42 countries with data for 2018.
Is completion rate, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/completion-rate-primary-education-both-sexes-percent/ghana/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/completion-rate-primary-education-both-sexes-percent/ghana/">Completion rate, primary education, both sexes in Ghana</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
42 places, 391 data points, 1996–2019
Last refreshed

The number of persons in the relevant age group who have completed the last grade of the given level of education is expressed as a percentage of the total population (in the survey sample) of the same age group. The primary completion rate is the percentage of a cohort of children or young people aged 3-5 years above the intended age for the last grade of primary education who have completed that grade. The intended age for the last grade of primary education is the age at which pupils would enter the grade if they had started school at the official primary entrance age, had studied full-time and had progressed without repeating or skipping a grade. For example, if the official age of entry into primary education is 6 years, and if primary education has 6 grades, the intended age for the last grade of primary education is 11 years. In this case, 14-16 years (11 + 3 = 14 and 11 + 5 = 16) would be the reference age group for calculation of the primary completion rate. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/