Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years) in Ghana
Ghana: Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years) was 4 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
4 years
Change on year
up 33.3%
World rank
5th
of 209 countries
All-time high
4 years
in 1991
All-time low
3 years
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Ghana, 1970–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 4 years for theoretical duration of upper secondary education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.3% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Ghana peaked at 4 years in 1991 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1970.
That places Ghana 5th out of 209 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1992 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 years | -25.0% |
| 2014 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 years | +33.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3 years, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.9 years | 3 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3 years | 3 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 5 Austria 4 years compare
- 5 Bangladesh 4 years compare
- 5 Belgium 4 years compare
- 5 Bermuda 4 years compare
- 5 Bolivia 4 years compare
- 5 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 years compare
- 5 Bulgaria 4 years compare
- 5 Chile 4 years compare
- 5 Democratic Republic of Congo 4 years compare
- 5 Croatia 4 years compare
- 5 Curacao 4 years compare
- 5 Czechia 4 years compare
- 5 Dominican Republic 4 years compare
- 5 Eritrea 4 years compare
- 5 Haiti 4 years compare
- 5 Hungary 4 years compare
- 5 Iceland 4 years compare
- 5 India 4 years compare
- 5 Iran 4 years compare
- 5 Kenya 4 years compare
- 5 Kiribati 4 years compare
- 5 Luxembourg 4 years compare
- 5 Malta 4 years compare
- 5 Mauritius 4 years compare
- 5 Micronesia (country) 4 years compare
- 5 Montenegro 4 years compare
- 5 Nepal 4 years compare
- 5 North Macedonia 4 years compare
- 5 Pakistan 4 years compare
- 5 Palau 4 years compare
- 5 Papua New Guinea 4 years compare
- 5 Romania 4 years compare
- 5 Serbia 4 years compare
- 5 Seychelles 4 years compare
- 5 Sierra Leone 4 years compare
- 5 Slovakia 4 years compare
- 5 Slovenia 4 years compare
- 5 Solomon Islands 4 years compare
- 5 Somalia 4 years compare
- 5 South Sudan 4 years compare
- 5 Sri Lanka 4 years compare
- 5 Switzerland 4 years compare
- 5 Tunisia 4 years compare
- 5 Turkey 4 years compare
- 5 United Kingdom 4 years compare
- 5 Zimbabwe 4 years compare
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 theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Ghana?
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in Ghana was 4 years in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of upper secondary education recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 4 years in 1991.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of upper secondary education recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank for theoretical duration of upper secondary education?
- Ghana ranks 5th out of 209 countries with data for 2020.
- Is theoretical duration of upper secondary education rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of grades (years) in upper secondary education.