Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Ghana

Ghana: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day was 56.3% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
56.3%
World rank
16th
of 120 countries
All-time high
90.3%
in 1991
All-time low
56.3%
in 2016
Years of data
7
1987–2016

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Ghana, 1987–2016

0204060801001987200120161987: 90.2 %1988: 89.6 %1991: 90.3 %1998: 79.8 %2005: 76.7 %2012: 59.8 %2016: 56.3 %

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Ghana is 56.3%, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is down 26.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Ghana peaked at 90.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 56.3%, in 2016.

That places Ghana 16th out of 120 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 89.9% 89.6% 90.2% 2
1990s 85.1% 79.8% 90.3% 2
2000s 76.7% 76.7% 76.7% 1
2010s 58.0% 56.3% 59.8% 2

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 13 Rwanda 62.2% compare
  2. 14 Guinea-Bissau 62.1% compare
  3. 15 Mali 59.5% compare
  4. 17 Togo 55.6% compare
  5. 18 Benin 50.0% compare
  6. 19 Pakistan 47.9% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Ghana?
Poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Ghana was 56.3% in 2016, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 90.3% in 1991.
What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 56.3% in 2016.
How does Ghana rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day?
Ghana ranks 16th out of 120 countries with data for 2016.
Is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day
Unit
%
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $4.20 per day.