Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana
Ghana: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 4 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana is 4, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana peaked at 4 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Ghana 87th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0.1 | — |
| 1925 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.3 | +200.0% |
| 1940 | 0.4 | +33.3% |
| 1945 | 0.5 | +25.0% |
| 1950 | 0.6 | +20.0% |
| 1955 | 0.7 | +16.7% |
| 1960 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.6 | -14.3% |
| 1970 | 0.4 | -33.3% |
| 1975 | 0.7 | +75.0% |
| 1980 | 1.2 | +71.4% |
| 1985 | 1.8 | +50.0% |
| 1990 | 2.6 | +44.4% |
| 1995 | 3.3 | +26.9% |
| 2000 | 4 | +21.2% |
| 2005 | 3.2 | -20.0% |
| 2010 | 3.4 | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 3.6 | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 4 | +11.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.7, 85% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.3, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | +200.0% | 0.1 | 0.3 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.45 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.65 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.65 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.55 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.95 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2 |
| 2020s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 95.93 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 95.23 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Ghana was 4 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 4 in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Ghana rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Ghana ranks 87th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).