E.g., 04/18/2024
E.g., 04/18/2024
Country Resource - Ghana

Ghana

GH
  • Population......................................................................33,846,114 (2023 est.)
  • Population growth rate ............................................................2.19% (2023 est.)
  • Birth rate..................................................28.04 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Death rate...............................................5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Net migration rate...............................--0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Ethnic groups.............................Akan 45.7%, Mole-Dagbani 18.5%, Ewe 12.8%, Ga-Dangme 7.1%, Gurma 6.4%, Guan 3.2%, Grusi 2.7%, Mande 2%, other 1.6% (2021 est.)

CIA World Factbook

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Perhaps best known for its brain drain and the related success of its diaspora, Ghana also has an important role in West African migration patterns, past and present. Micah Bump of Georgetown's Institute for the Study of International Migration takes a detailed look at a country in transition.

Recent Activity

Instructors teach an African dance class in Miami.

The population of sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States is relatively small, but it has grown substantially over the last four decades and is likely to continue to increase. This group of 2.1 million people is highly diverse, including individuals with a range of ethnic, linguistic, and other backgrounds, as this article explains.

africa intracontinental movement

While intraregional migration is a pillar of the African Union's focus on enhancing regional integration and economic development, visa-free travel or visas upon arrival are a reality for only about half of the countries on the continent. Progress towards free movement for Africans has occurred mostly at a subregional level, as this article explores.

SomaliImmigrantUS

The sub-Saharan African immigrant population in the United States is a small, but quickly growing, one. Between 2010 and 2018, the size of the sub-Saharan African population increased 52 percent, far outpacing the overall rise in the foreign born. Immigrants coming from the 51 sub-Saharan countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Somalia, are diverse in their origins and socioeconomic characteristics, as this Spotlight explores.

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The population of sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States has grown rapidly in recent decades, from 130,000 in 1980 to 1.7 million in 2015. The current flow of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa consists of skilled professionals, individuals seeking reunification with relatives, and refugees from war-torn countries. This article provides the latest data on immigrants from the region in the United States.

HTAs are active throughout the United States, Europe, and parts of East Asia. Manuel Orozco and Rebecca Rouse of the Inter-American Dialogue provide an overview of HTAs and look at the development role they play.

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Perhaps best known for its brain drain and the related success of its diaspora, Ghana also has an important role in West African migration patterns, past and present. Micah Bump of Georgetown's Institute for the Study of International Migration takes a detailed look at a country in transition.

Aderanti Adepoju of the Human Resources Development Centre in Lagos provides an overview of Africa's dynamic migration flows, examining trends ranging from feminization to diversification.

Cover RAD FullSet
Fact Sheets
July 2014

MPI has produced profiles of 15 diaspora communities in the United States, gathering in one place key demographic data and analysis on diasporas from Bangladesh, Colombia, El Salvador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The profiles examine population size, educational attainment, household income, employment patterns, geographic distribution, and remittance volume.

Cover image for Deepening Labor Migration Governance at a Time of Immobility: Ghana and Senegal
Policy Briefs
July 2021

The pandemic has dramatically curtailed labor migration opportunities in West Africa, as it has around the world. What does this mean for countries such as Ghana and Senegal that have been working to improve their governance of international labor migration? This brief explores the evolution of these countries’ migration policies, efforts to facilitate labor migration, and strategies to engage their diasporas.

Cover image for From Unilateral Response to Coordinated Action
Policy Briefs
June 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged public health and migration management infrastructures in sub-Saharan Africa, as never before. It revealed important lessons about how countries in the region can adapt mobility systems in ways that protect public health while also allowing people to safely access work, humanitarian protection, and their communities.

Cover image for EU Strategy on Voluntary Return and Reintegration: Crafting a Road Map to Better Cooperation with Migrants’ Countries of Origin
Policy Briefs
May 2021

In its Strategy on Voluntary Return and Reintegration, the European Commission sets out principles to increase the number of voluntary returns, make the return process more dignified, and provide better support to returnees. To make good on these goals, EU countries will need to improve their cooperation with migrants’ countries of origin. This policy brief explores opportunities to build this cooperation.