Total natural resource rents in Ghana
Ghana: Total natural resource rents was 13.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Total natural resource rents in Ghana, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 13.3% for total natural resource rents in 2021.
The figure is up 57.3% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Ghana peaked at 16.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1971.
That places Ghana 39th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.9% | — |
| 1971 | 2.3% | -18.4% |
| 1972 | 3.5% | +48.9% |
| 1973 | 5.0% | +42.6% |
| 1974 | 4.8% | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 5.5% | +14.3% |
| 1976 | 5.8% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 7.4% | +28.8% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | -13.9% |
| 1979 | 6.6% | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 8.7% | +31.8% |
| 1981 | 7.0% | -19.8% |
| 1982 | 8.5% | +21.9% |
| 1983 | 7.0% | -17.6% |
| 1984 | 5.7% | -18.9% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | -24.4% |
| 1986 | 4.9% | +13.1% |
| 1987 | 5.7% | +17.8% |
| 1988 | 5.9% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | -3.8% |
| 1990 | 6.9% | +20.9% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | -6.8% |
| 1992 | 7.6% | +18.6% |
| 1993 | 9.6% | +26.6% |
| 1994 | 13.7% | +42.3% |
| 1995 | 12.8% | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 13.8% | +7.3% |
| 1997 | 12.5% | -9.3% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 7.8% | -35.0% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | +75.7% |
| 2001 | 12.7% | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 13.4% | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 15.6% | +16.3% |
| 2004 | 12.4% | -20.6% |
| 2005 | 11.7% | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | -35.4% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | +16.5% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | +18.0% |
| 2010 | 10.1% | -6.4% |
| 2011 | 16.1% | +58.9% |
| 2012 | 15.8% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 10.9% | -31.2% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | +12.5% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | -18.1% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | +19.9% |
| 2018 | 9.8% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 9.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | -13.1% |
| 2021 | 13.3% | +57.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 13.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 3.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 13.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.0% | 2.3% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.3% | 4.3% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.3% | 6.4% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.6% | 7.6% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 8.6% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 8.5% | 13.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Ghana?
- Total natural resource rents in Ghana was 13.3% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1971.
- How does Ghana rank for total natural resource rents?
- Ghana ranks 39th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.