Ghana recorded declines in multidimensional poverty across 250 of 261 districts between 2021 and 2025, though deep regional disparities remain, according to new district-level poverty estimates released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu said the findings mark the first time Ghana has produced comparable multidimensional poverty estimates for every district over multiple years, providing policymakers with more detailed evidence to guide spending, social interventions and development planning.
“Today, we move beyond averages,” Dr. Iddrisu said during the launch of the district-level multidimensional poverty ranking fact sheets in Accra. “Today, we are bringing poverty statistics closer to the people, closer to communities, and closer to where decisions are made.”
The report cites both progress and persistent inequality in Ghana’s economic recovery and development trajectory following years of fiscal stress and an IMF-backed reform programme.
According to the findings, Yunyoo-Nasuan District in the North East Region recorded the country’s highest multidimensional poverty incidence in 2025, with 51.6% of residents experiencing overlapping deprivations in areas such as education, health, housing, sanitation and employment. By contrast, Ayawaso North Municipal in the Greater Accra Region recorded the lowest poverty incidence at 5.5%.
The more than 46-percentage-point gap shows the uneven distribution of economic opportunity and public services across the country.
The six districts with the highest poverty levels were all located in the North East Region, while poverty also remained heavily concentrated in parts of the Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Oti and Bono East regions.
The data also pointed to significant improvements in some districts. Wa West District in the Upper West Region reduced multidimensional poverty from 61.9% in 2021 to 24% in 2025, the largest decline nationally. Sekyere Afram Plains in the Ashanti Region reduced poverty from 50.5% to 13.5% over the same period.
The estimates were compiled using data from Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census, the 2022-2024 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey, and the 2025 Quarterly Labour Force Survey, covering 13 indicators linked to living standards and well-being.
Multidimensional poverty differs from traditional income-based measures by assessing overlapping forms of deprivation, including access to healthcare, education, sanitation, housing quality, electricity, nutrition and employment opportunities.
“A household may earn income and still face serious deprivation in education, in health, in housing, sanitation, electricity, nutrition, and employment opportunities,” Dr. Iddrisu said.
The report arrives as Ghana seeks to strengthen economic recovery after completing a three-year IMF-supported Extended Credit Facility program aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability following the country’s debt crisis and high inflation period.
Dr. Iddrisu said district-level poverty data would help Parliament, local governments and development agencies better target public spending and social interventions. “The districts falling behind must receive urgent attention,” he said. “Districts making progress must be supported to sustain gains.”
The findings may also influence investment decisions, as government increasingly pushes data-driven planning to reduce inequality, improve public service delivery and direct resources toward underserved communities.
“Statistics matter most when they improve lives,” Dr. Iddrisu said. “Data has value only when it informs decisions, shapes policy, directs resources and changes outcomes for people.”
