Average years of schooling among adults in Ghana
Ghana: Average years of schooling among adults was 7.11 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Ghana, 1990–2023
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.
Average years of schooling among adults in Ghana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.18 years | — |
| 1991 | 4.31 years | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 4.44 years | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 4.57 years | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 4.69 years | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 4.82 years | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 4.9 years | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 4.98 years | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 5.06 years | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 5.14 years | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 5.22 years | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 5.27 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 5.32 years | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 5.37 years | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 5.41 years | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 5.46 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 5.52 years | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 5.58 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 5.64 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 5.7 years | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 5.76 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 5.79 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 5.82 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.85 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 5.88 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 5.91 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 6.02 years | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 6.12 years | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 6.32 years | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 6.52 years | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 6.71 years | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 6.91 years | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 7.11 years | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 7.11 years | +0.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 7.11 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.79 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 7.11 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.96 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.