Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana
Ghana: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 95.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
95.2%
Change on year
up 5.7%
World rank
121st
of 209 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 2016
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
53
1820–2024
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana stood at 95.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana peaked at 99.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Ghana ranks 121st of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1830 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1835 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1840 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1845 | 0.2% | +33.3% |
| 1850 | 0.2% | +31.2% |
| 1855 | 0.3% | +28.6% |
| 1860 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 1865 | 0.5% | +30.6% |
| 1870 | 0.6% | +31.9% |
| 1875 | 0.8% | +32.3% |
| 1880 | 1.1% | +31.7% |
| 1885 | 1.4% | +30.6% |
| 1890 | 1.9% | +31.9% |
| 1895 | 2.4% | +31.2% |
| 1900 | 3.2% | +30.7% |
| 1905 | 4.2% | +30.7% |
| 1910 | 5.4% | +30.2% |
| 1915 | 7.0% | +29.7% |
| 1920 | 8.5% | +21.0% |
| 1925 | 9.6% | +12.9% |
| 1930 | 9.4% | -2.0% |
| 1935 | 9.7% | +3.2% |
| 1940 | 12.7% | +30.2% |
| 1945 | 24.0% | +89.3% |
| 1950 | 23.6% | -1.7% |
| 1955 | 43.9% | +86.2% |
| 1960 | 33.0% | -24.8% |
| 1965 | 59.9% | +81.6% |
| 1970 | 55.6% | -7.2% |
| 1975 | 61.7% | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 63.4% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 57.5% | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 65.5% | +14.0% |
| 2001 | 60.5% | -7.7% |
| 2002 | 64.7% | +7.0% |
| 2003 | 64.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 70.7% | +9.3% |
| 2006 | 73.2% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 78.4% | +7.1% |
| 2008 | 83.5% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 83.1% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 88.7% | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 86.7% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 90.5% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 99.8% | +10.2% |
| 2017 | 93.2% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 91.8% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 94.5% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 89.4% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 90.1% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 95.2% | +5.7% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 95.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 95.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 2 |
| 1900s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 6.2% | 5.4% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 9.1% | 8.5% | 9.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 9.6% | 9.4% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 1940s | 18.3% | 12.7% | 24.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 33.7% | 23.6% | 43.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 46.5% | 33.0% | 59.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 58.6% | 55.6% | 61.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 63.4% | 63.4% | 63.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 57.5% | 57.5% | 57.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 71.6% | 60.5% | 83.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 92.2% | 86.7% | 99.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 91.6% | 89.4% | 95.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Ghana was 95.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Ghana rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Ghana ranks 121st out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.