Ghana has recorded a sustained decline in multidimensional poverty nationwide, although wide disparities persist across regions and between rural and urban communities, according to the latest Quarterly Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Bulletin.
Data released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) show that about 950,000 people moved out of multidimensional poverty between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2025.
Over the same period, the national multidimensional poverty rate declined from 24.9 per cent to 21.9 per cent.
The number of people classified as multidimensionally poor also fell from 8.1 million in the third quarter of 2024 to 7.2 million by the end of the third quarter of 2025, reflecting gradual improvements in living standards across the country.
The MPI measures poverty beyond income, capturing deprivations in health, education, employment and living conditions.
A household is considered multidimensionally poor when it is deprived in at least one-third of the 13 indicators used in the assessment.
Health and living conditions remained the dominant contributors to multidimensional poverty, accounting for 47.7 percent and 29.2 percent respectively. Education contributed 13.4 percent, while employment accounted for 12.3 percent.
Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, said overall living conditions were improving, but cautioned against complacency due to pronounced regional inequalities.
He noted that 14 regions recorded a reduction in the multidimensionally poor population between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2025, while two regions experienced increases.
Regionally, the North East and Savannah regions recorded poverty incidences exceeding 50 percent, more than double the national average of 21.9 percent.
This contrasted sharply with the Greater Accra and Western regions, which recorded incidences below 20 percent.
Despite having poverty rates closer to the national average, populous regions such as Ashanti and Northern each recorded more than one million multidimensionally poor people, highlighting the scale of the challenge.
The rural-urban divide also remained significant, with rural poverty standing at 31.9 percent compared to 14.2 percent in urban areas.
Dr Iddrisu said this underscored the need to prioritise rural development, particularly in healthcare access and basic living conditions.
“These statistics are not just numbers; they are signals for action,” he said. “They show government, businesses, labour, civil society and development partners where to focus resources, what to fix first, and how to protect vulnerable people, including those facing the combined burden of poverty, unemployment and food insecurity.”
While acknowledging the progress made, Dr Iddrisu stressed that it remained uneven.
He urged policymakers to adopt region-specific and rural-focused interventions targeted at key poverty drivers, especially health and living conditions.
Among his recommendations were expanding National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coverage and renewals for vulnerable groups, rural households and informal workers, alongside improvements in sanitation and toilet facilities to reduce health-related deprivations.
He also called for accelerated investment in basic infrastructure such as safe water, housing quality, electricity, sanitation and overcrowding reduction, particularly in high-poverty and rural regions.
In addition, Dr Iddrisu urged government to strengthen school feeding and education support programmes, scale up social protection initiatives such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, and expand skills development and job creation efforts.
He encouraged businesses to support education through scholarships, internships and training, create decent jobs, and support Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) to grow.
Dr Iddrisu further called on households to keep children in school, improve nutrition, especially for children participate in skills and livelihood programmes, including apprenticeships, and take steps to improve their living conditions.
