Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ghana

Ghana: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 32.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
32.1%
World rank
28th
of 180 countries
All-time high
32.1%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ghana, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 9.8 %1985: 10.4 %1990: 10.9 %1995: 18.8 %2000: 20.9 %2005: 22.8 %2010: 24.9 %2015: 26.7 %2020: 32.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ghana stood at 32.1%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 29.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ghana peaked at 32.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Ghana 28th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 10.1% 9.8% 10.4% 2
1990s 14.9% 10.9% 18.8% 2
2000s 21.8% 20.9% 22.8% 2
2010s 25.8% 24.9% 26.7% 2
2020s 32.1% 32.1% 32.1% 1

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 26 Indonesia 32.5% compare
  2. 27 Angola 32.3% compare
  3. 29 Somalia 31.6% compare
  4. 30 Turkey 31.3% compare
  5. 31 Ecuador 31.2% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ghana?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Ghana was 32.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 32.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Ghana rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Ghana ranks 28th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.