School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ghana
Ghana: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 2.16 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.16 million
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
36th
of 220 countries
All-time high
2.18 million
in 2012
All-time low
490,875
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ghana, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 2.16 million for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 2.18 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 490,875, in 1970.
That places Ghana 36th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 490,875 | — |
| 1971 | 508,997 | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 530,854 | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 556,989 | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 586,447 | +5.3% |
| 1975 | 618,334 | +5.4% |
| 1976 | 647,532 | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 674,396 | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 726,027 | +7.7% |
| 1979 | 778,999 | +7.3% |
| 1980 | 831,079 | +6.7% |
| 1981 | 853,005 | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 870,212 | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 884,743 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 900,944 | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 916,945 | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 938,803 | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 954,811 | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 954,101 | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 959,423 | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 977,239 | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 1.37 million | +40.0% |
| 1992 | 1.40 million | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 1.44 million | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 1.49 million | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 1.56 million | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 1.60 million | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 1.63 million | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 1.67 million | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 1.72 million | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 1.78 million | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 1.84 million | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 1.89 million | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 1.92 million | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.96 million | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 2.00 million | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 2.03 million | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 2.06 million | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 2.10 million | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 2.13 million | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 2.15 million | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 2.17 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 2.18 million | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.66 million | -23.9% |
| 2014 | 1.68 million | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 1.73 million | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 1.79 million | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 1.84 million | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 1.90 million | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 1.94 million | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 1.97 million | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 2.01 million | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 2.06 million | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 2.10 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 2.12 million | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 2.16 million | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 611,945 | 490,875 | 778,999 | 10 |
| 1980s | 906,407 | 831,079 | 959,423 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.49 million | 977,239 | 1.72 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.97 million | 1.78 million | 2.13 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.90 million | 1.66 million | 2.18 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.07 million | 1.97 million | 2.16 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 122,558 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 60.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 35.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ghana?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Ghana was 2.16 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 2.18 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 490,875 in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Ghana ranks 36th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.7%. 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, published as part of School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release