Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana
Ghana: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 101.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana is 101.0%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana peaked at 103.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 56.6%, in 1974.
Ghana ranks 105th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 59.1% | — |
| 1972 | 56.9% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 57.4% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 56.6% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 57.3% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 61.7% | +7.6% |
| 1977 | 63.4% | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 64.5% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 66.2% | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 67.7% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 69.9% | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 71.6% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 70.6% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 67.5% | -4.4% |
| 1985 | 68.4% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 64.2% | -6.2% |
| 1987 | 65.3% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 64.5% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 67.3% | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 65.1% | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 72.7% | +11.6% |
| 1992 | 73.7% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 72.8% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 73.9% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 73.0% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 73.3% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 76.4% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 75.3% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 79.9% | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 75.4% | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 78.8% | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 76.3% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 80.2% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 86.7% | +8.1% |
| 2006 | 91.2% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 96.0% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 100.8% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 99.1% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 99.4% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 102.1% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 101.1% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 99.6% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 103.2% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 101.8% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 100.5% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 98.7% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 99.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 99.5% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 98.2% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 101.0% | +2.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 101.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 98% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 101.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 60.3% | 56.6% | 66.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 67.7% | 64.2% | 71.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.9% | 65.1% | 76.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 86.5% | 75.4% | 100.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 100.7% | 98.7% | 103.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 99.3% | 98.2% | 101.0% | 4 |
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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Ghana was 101.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 103.2% in 2015.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6% in 1974.
- How does Ghana rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Ghana ranks 105th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.