Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Ghana
Ghana: Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths was 235,107 children in 2024. ▲ Rising
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Ghana, 1990–2024
Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in children.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 235,107 children for children orphaned due to aids deaths in 2024.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children orphaned due to aids deaths in Ghana peaked at 245,056 children in 2020 and was at its lowest, 13,121 children, in 1990.
That places Ghana 15th out of 139 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Ghana, year by year
| Year | children | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13,121 children | — |
| 1991 | 17,934 children | +36.7% |
| 1992 | 24,095 children | +34.3% |
| 1993 | 31,782 children | +31.9% |
| 1994 | 41,191 children | +29.6% |
| 1995 | 52,380 children | +27.2% |
| 1996 | 65,184 children | +24.4% |
| 1997 | 79,417 children | +21.8% |
| 1998 | 94,813 children | +19.4% |
| 1999 | 110,486 children | +16.5% |
| 2000 | 126,456 children | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 142,441 children | +12.6% |
| 2002 | 158,145 children | +11.0% |
| 2003 | 173,083 children | +9.4% |
| 2004 | 186,870 children | +8.0% |
| 2005 | 199,062 children | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 209,661 children | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 218,488 children | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 225,185 children | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 230,033 children | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 233,705 children | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 236,154 children | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 236,815 children | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 237,624 children | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 239,364 children | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 240,963 children | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 242,707 children | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 243,895 children | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 244,201 children | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 244,397 children | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 245,056 children | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 244,868 children | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 242,642 children | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 237,985 children | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 235,107 children | -1.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 235,107 children is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 38,246 children, 6.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 235,107 children is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 83,352 children, 2.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53,040 children | 13,121 children | 110,486 children | 10 |
| 2000s | 186,942 children | 126,456 children | 230,033 children | 10 |
| 2010s | 239,982 children | 233,705 children | 244,397 children | 10 |
| 2020s | 241,132 children | 235,107 children | 245,056 children | 5 |
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 children orphaned due to aids deaths in Ghana?
- Children orphaned due to aids deaths in Ghana was 235,107 children in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 245,056 children in 2020.
- What is the lowest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,121 children in 1990.
- How does Ghana rank for children orphaned due to aids deaths?
- Ghana ranks 15th out of 139 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children orphaned due to aids deaths rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of children, aged 17 and under, who have been orphaned by the death of one or both parents from AIDS at any point in their lives. This is the central estimate.