Ghana has recorded a general decline in multidimensional poverty across its districts over the past five years, the latest District-Level Multidimensional Poverty Estimates and Ranking Report released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed.
The report indicated that multidimensional poverty incidence dropped from 24.3 per cent to 23.0 per cent in 2025, with 250 out of the country’s 261 districts showing improvement within the review period.
Multidimensional poverty, the report explained, reflects the lived experience of deprivation beyond income, capturing overlapping challenges such as poor health, malnutrition, lack of education, unsafe housing and unemployment.
Speaking at the launch of the report in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, said the findings provided critical data to help government and policymakers better target interventions and ensure equitable distribution of resources.
He noted that although national figures pointed to significant progress, the district-level breakdown revealed specific development gaps that required urgent attention.
Mr Ampem disclosed that between 2024 and 2025, about 10,000 people had been lifted out of multidimensional poverty. However, he stressed that the details were crucial, as the data showed that access to decent toilet facilities remained a major challenge in some constituencies.
He explained that the findings underscored the need for localised policy responses rather than a one-size-fits-all approach across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
According to him, each assembly faced unique challenges and must, therefore, be given the flexibility to deploy resources to address its most pressing needs.
Mr Ampem further disclosed that the government would support the GSS to engage all 16 regions and district assemblies in discussions on fiscal decentralisation and the efficient use of public funds.
He observed that all six districts with the highest poverty incidence were located in the North East Region, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address regional disparities.
The Deputy Minister added that the report came at a time when Ghana’s economy was steadily recovering from the 2022 economic crisis, noting that government’s focus had now shifted from macroeconomic stabilisation to inclusive growth and socio-economic transformation.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to tackling poverty through sustained investments in education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, digital inclusion and social protection programmes.
Mr Ampem emphasised that poverty went beyond income, elaborating that it also involved limited opportunities, poor access to quality education and healthcare, inadequate sanitation, unemployment and weak infrastructure, which government was determined to address comprehensively.
The Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, described the report as historic, noting that it marked the first time Ghana had produced consistent, comparable multidimensional poverty estimates for all 261 districts over several years.
He explained that, the report drew on data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the 2022–2024 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey, and the 2025 Quarterly Labour Force Survey, were all using 13 well-being indicators.
Dr Iddrisu stated that the findings would strengthen evidence-based policymaking, district-level planning and poverty targeting efforts nationwide.
He indicated that the district with the highest multidimensional poverty incidence in 2025 recorded 51.6 per cent, while the Ayawaso North Municipal in the Greater Accra Region recorded the lowest incidence at 5.5 per cent.
He then urged policymakers, Parliament, development partners and local assemblies to use the report to guide resource allocation and interventions in deprived communities.
Moreover, Dr Iddrisu announced that individual poverty fact sheets for all 261 districts would be made publicly available on the Ghana Statistical Service website to support planning, research and public accountability.
The Majority and Minority Leaders of Parliament, Mr Mahama Ayariga and Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, commended the GSS for the report, noting that it would enhance evidence-based planning.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
The post Ghana records decline in multidimensional poverty — GSS report appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS