Average years of schooling among adults in Ghana

Ghana: Average years of schooling among adults was 7.11 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
7.11 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
142nd
of 192 countries
All-time high
7.11 years
in 2022
All-time low
4.18 years
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average years of schooling among adults in Ghana, 1990–2023

024681990200620231990: 4.2 years1991: 4.3 years1992: 4.4 years1993: 4.6 years1994: 4.7 years1995: 4.8 years1996: 4.9 years1997: 5 years1998: 5.1 years1999: 5.1 years2000: 5.2 years2001: 5.3 years2002: 5.3 years2003: 5.4 years2004: 5.4 years2005: 5.5 years2006: 5.5 years2007: 5.6 years2008: 5.6 years2009: 5.7 years2010: 5.8 years2011: 5.8 years2012: 5.8 years2013: 5.9 years2014: 5.9 years2015: 5.9 years2016: 6 years2017: 6.1 years2018: 6.3 years2019: 6.5 years2020: 6.7 years2021: 6.9 years2022: 7.1 years2023: 7.1 years

Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Ghana recorded 7.11 years for average years of schooling among adults in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Ghana peaked at 7.11 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4.18 years, in 1990.

That places Ghana 142nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4.71 years 4.18 years 5.14 years 10
2000s 5.45 years 5.22 years 5.7 years 10
2010s 6 years 5.76 years 6.52 years 10
2020s 6.96 years 6.71 years 7.11 years 4

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 139 El Salvador 7.3 years compare
  2. 140 Namibia 7.27 years compare
  3. 141 Vanuatu 7.18 years compare
  4. 143 India 6.88 years compare
  5. 144 Bangladesh 6.79 years compare
  6. 145 Iraq 6.78 years compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More education data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is average years of schooling among adults in Ghana?
Average years of schooling among adults in Ghana was 7.11 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 7.11 years in 2022.
What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 4.18 years in 1990.
How does Ghana rank for average years of schooling among adults?
Ghana ranks 142nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling among adults
Unit
years
Source
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 6,079 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.