Ghana

Current head of state

John Mahama President of Ghana In office 2025–present · 1.8y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1958 · took office at 66 Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat · CC BY 4.0

John Mahama

President of Ghana

Since 2025 1.8 years in office

Governance indicator

0.01

−2.50+2.5

World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, composite of six dimensions · 2024

Chamber

Member of the Parliament of Ghana

Seats

—

Speaker

Nii Amaa Ollennu

Active alliances

25

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Charles Arden-Clarke Charles Arden-Clarke President of Ghana In office 1957–1957 · 0.3y Born 1898 · took office at 58 The National Archives UK - Flickr account · OGL v1.0

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah President of Ghana In office 1960–1966 · 5.7y PartyConvention People's Party Born 1909 · took office at 50 USSR Post · Public domain

Joseph Arthur Ankrah Joseph Arthur Ankrah President of Ghana In office 1966–1969 · 3.1y Born 1915 · took office at 50 Took power coup 1966-02-24 Yoichi Okamoto · Public domain

Akwasi Afrifa Akwasi Afrifa President of Ghana In office 1969–1970 · 1.3y PartyUnited National Convention Born 1936 · took office at 32

Nii Amaa Ollennu Nii Amaa Ollennu President of Ghana In office 1970–1970 · 0.1y PartyAlliance of Independent Social Democrats Born 1906 · took office at 64

Edward Akufo-Addo Edward Akufo-Addo President of Ghana In office 1970–1972 · 1.4y PartyUnited Gold Coast Convention Born 1906 · took office at 64

Ignatius Kutu Acheampong Ignatius Kutu Acheampong President of Ghana In office 1972–1978 · 6.5y Born 1931 · took office at 40 Took power coup 1972-01-13 Voice of America · Public domain

Fred Akuffo Fred Akuffo President of Ghana In office 1978–1979 · 0.9y Partyindependent politician Born 1937 · took office at 41 Took power coup 1978-07-05 Voice of America · Public domain

Jerry Rawlings Jerry Rawlings President of Ghana In office 1979–1979 · 0.3y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1947 · took office at 31 Took power coup 1979-06-04 Mark Renders / European Communities, 1998 / EC - Audiovisual Service · CC BY 4.0

Hilla Limann Hilla Limann President of Ghana In office 1979–1981 · 2.3y PartyPeople's National Party Born 1934 · took office at 44 London School of Economics · Public domain

Jerry Rawlings Jerry Rawlings President of Ghana In office 1981–2001 · 19y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1947 · took office at 34 Took power coup 1981-12-31 Mark Renders / European Communities, 1998 / EC - Audiovisual Service · CC BY 4.0

John Kufuor John Kufuor President of Ghana In office 2001–2009 · 8y PartyNew Patriotic Party Born 1938 · took office at 62 Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org)/Eric Miller, mailto:emiller@iafrica.com emiller@iafrica.com) · CC BY-SA 2.0

John Evans Atta Mills John Evans Atta Mills President of Ghana In office 2009–2012 · 3.5y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1944 · took office at 64 National Democratic Congress party of Ghana · CC BY-SA 3.0

John Mahama John Mahama President of Ghana In office 2012–2017 · 4.5y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1958 · took office at 53 Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat · CC BY 4.0

Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Akufo-Addo President of Ghana In office 2017–2025 · 8y PartyNew Patriotic Party Born 1944 · took office at 72 DFID - UK Department for International Development Graham Carlow · CC BY 2.0

John Mahama John Mahama President of Ghana In office 2025–present · 1.8y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1958 · took office at 66 Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat · CC BY 4.0

1966-02-24 1972-01-13 1978-07-05 1979-06-04 1981-12-31

Term Began with a realized coup In office Realized coup — dated

The scale spans every dated record held for this country, so it may begin before the first leader on file — a gap at the left means coups are recorded for years where no office-holder is. Coup markers link to the Cline Center source.

1. 2025– John Mahama President of Ghana In office 2025–present · 1.8y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1958 · took office at 66 Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat · CC BY 4.0 John Mahama In office 1.8y
2. 2017–2025 Nana Akufo-Addo President of Ghana In office 2017–2025 · 8y PartyNew Patriotic Party Born 1944 · took office at 72 DFID - UK Department for International Development Graham Carlow · CC BY 2.0 Nana Akufo-Addo 8y
3. 2012–2017 John Mahama President of Ghana In office 2012–2017 · 4.5y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1958 · took office at 53 Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat · CC BY 4.0 John Mahama 4.5y
4. 2009–2012 John Evans Atta Mills President of Ghana In office 2009–2012 · 3.5y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1944 · took office at 64 National Democratic Congress party of Ghana · CC BY-SA 3.0 John Evans Atta Mills 3.5y
5. 2001–2009 John Kufuor President of Ghana In office 2001–2009 · 8y PartyNew Patriotic Party Born 1938 · took office at 62 Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org)/Eric Miller, mailto:emiller@iafrica.com emiller@iafrica.com) · CC BY-SA 2.0 John Kufuor 8y
6. 1981–2001 Jerry Rawlings President of Ghana In office 1981–2001 · 19y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1947 · took office at 34 Took power coup 1981-12-31 Mark Renders / European Communities, 1998 / EC - Audiovisual Service · CC BY 4.0 Jerry Rawlings Coup 1981 19y
7. 1979–1981 Hilla Limann President of Ghana In office 1979–1981 · 2.3y PartyPeople's National Party Born 1934 · took office at 44 London School of Economics · Public domain Hilla Limann 2.3y
8. 1979–1979 Jerry Rawlings President of Ghana In office 1979–1979 · 0.3y PartyNational Democratic Congress Born 1947 · took office at 31 Took power coup 1979-06-04 Mark Renders / European Communities, 1998 / EC - Audiovisual Service · CC BY 4.0 Jerry Rawlings Coup 1979 0.3y
9. 1978–1979 Fred Akuffo President of Ghana In office 1978–1979 · 0.9y Partyindependent politician Born 1937 · took office at 41 Took power coup 1978-07-05 Voice of America · Public domain Fred Akuffo Coup 1978 0.9y
10. 1972–1978 Ignatius Kutu Acheampong President of Ghana In office 1972–1978 · 6.5y Born 1931 · took office at 40 Took power coup 1972-01-13 Voice of America · Public domain Ignatius Kutu Acheampong Coup 1972 6.5y
11. 1970–1972 EA Edward Akufo-Addo President of Ghana In office 1970–1972 · 1.4y PartyUnited Gold Coast Convention Born 1906 · took office at 64 Edward Akufo-Addo 1.4y
12. 1970–1970 NO Nii Amaa Ollennu President of Ghana In office 1970–1970 · 0.1y PartyAlliance of Independent Social Democrats Born 1906 · took office at 64 Nii Amaa Ollennu 0.1y
13. 1969–1970 AA Akwasi Afrifa President of Ghana In office 1969–1970 · 1.3y PartyUnited National Convention Born 1936 · took office at 32 Akwasi Afrifa 1.3y
14. 1966–1969 Joseph Arthur Ankrah President of Ghana In office 1966–1969 · 3.1y Born 1915 · took office at 50 Took power coup 1966-02-24 Yoichi Okamoto · Public domain Joseph Arthur Ankrah Coup 1966 3.1y
15. 1960–1966 Kwame Nkrumah President of Ghana In office 1960–1966 · 5.7y PartyConvention People's Party Born 1909 · took office at 50 USSR Post · Public domain Kwame Nkrumah 5.7y
16. 1957–1957 Charles Arden-Clarke President of Ghana In office 1957–1957 · 0.3y Born 1898 · took office at 58 The National Archives UK - Flickr account · OGL v1.0 Charles Arden-Clarke 0.3y

• 1981
  1981-12-31 Military
• 1979
  1979-06-04 Military
• 1978
  1978-07-05 MilitaryPalace
• 1972
  1972-01-13 Military
• 1966
  1966-02-24 Military

Source: Cline Center Coup d’État Project — realized events only.

• 2024
  Ghana Parliament December 2024 Election National Democratic Congress (NDC)18366.3% New Patriotic Party (NPP)8831.9% Independents41.4%

  Seats

  276

  Turnout

  60.9%

  Women

  14.5%

  Parties won

  2

• 2020
  Ghana Parliament December 2020 Election New Patriotic Party (NPP)13749.8% National Democratic Congress (NDC)13749.8% Independents10.4%

  Seats

  275

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  14.5%

  Parties won

  2

• 2016
  Ghana Parliament December 2016 Election New Patriotic Party (NPP)16961.5% National Democratic Congress (NDC)10638.5%

  Seats

  275

  Turnout

  68.6%

  Women

  12.7%

  Parties won

  2

• 2012
  Ghana Parliament December 2012 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 2008
  Ghana Parliament December 2008 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 2004
  Ghana Parliament December 2004 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 2000
  Ghana Parliament December 2000 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1996
  Ghana Parliament December 1996 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1992
  Ghana Parliament December 1992 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1979
  Ghana Parliament June 1979 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1969
  Ghana Parliament August 1969 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

Source: ipu_parline.

Separatist and self-determination movements recorded for this country. Coverage is partial — this is what the source describes, not a complete census of secessionism.

• Western Togoland Rebellion separatist conflict in eastern Ghana since 2020
  from description
• Western Togoland Restoration Front Ghanaian Ewe militant separatist organisation
  from description

Source: Wikidata. “Classified separatist” means the source explicitly tags the movement as such; the rest are identified from their description. The authoritative dataset for secessionist conflict is UCDP/PRIO, which is not yet ingested.

Fertility rate

3.3 2024

Life expectancy at birth

65.7 2024

Population growth

1.9 2024

Total population

34.4M 2024

Urban population percent

58.4 2024

Adult literacy rate

76.5 2021

Government expenditure on education percent of GDP

2.9 2022

Primary net enrollment ratio

86.2 2019

Secondary net enrollment ratio

57.2 2019

Ethnic groups

Religion

Languages

• Asante 16%
• Ewe 14%
• Fante 11.6%
• Boron 4.9%
• Dagomba 4.4%
• Dangme 4.2%
• Dagarte 3.9%
• Kokomba 3.5%
• Akyem 3.2%
• Ga 3.1%
• other 31.2%

Composition: CIA World Factbook, 2021 estimate. Shares are reproduced as published and are not renormalised, so a country may total slightly under or over 100%.

Regional & continental

• AfCFTA
• African Union
• ECOWAS

Global bodies & treaties

• African Development Bank
• Commonwealth of Nations
• Group on Earth Observations
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
• International Civil Defence Organisation
• International Development Association
• International Finance Corporation
• International Telecommunication Union
• Interpol
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
• Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• UNESCO
• United Nations
• United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur
• Universal Postal Union
• World Customs Organization
• World Health Organization
• World Meteorological Organization
• World Trade Organization

Register

Every party the observatory holds for this country, historical and current — the register is not filtered to parties currently holding seats.

• Action Congress Party
• All People's Congress
• All People's Party
• All People's Republican Party liberal democracy
• Anlo Youth Organisation
• Convention People's Party African socialism; Nkrumaism; Pan-Africanism Samia Nkrumah
• Democratic Freedom Party social democracy
• Democratic People's Party Nkrumaism
• Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere Nkrumaism
• Ghana Congress Party
• Ghana Democratic Republican Party
• Ghana Freedom Party
• Ghana National Party
• Ghana Redevelopment Party
• Ghana Union Movement
• Great Consolidated Popular Party Henry Herbert Lartey
• Independent People's Party
• Justice Party Erasmus Ransford Tawiah Madjitey
• Liberal Party of Ghana
• Movement for Change
• Muslim Association Party
• National Alliance of Liberals liberalism
• National Convention Party
• National Democratic Congress NDC social democracy John Mahama
• National Democratic Party
• National Democratic Party
• National Independence Party
• National Liberation Movement
• National Reform Party
• New Patriotic Party NPP liberal conservatism Nana Akufo-Addo
• New Vision Party
• NPP Women's Wing
• People's Convention Party Nkrumaism
• People's Destiny Party
• People's Heritage Party
• People's National Convention Nkrumaism
• People's National Party Hilla Limann
• Popular Front Party liberal conservatism
• Popular Party for Democracy and Development
• Power Unity Party
• Progressive People's Party progressivism; social liberalism
• Progress Party
• Q1378706
• Reformed Patriotic Democrats
• Social Democratic Front social democracy
• TESCON
• Third Force Party
• Togoland Congress
• United Democratic Party
• United Development System Party
• United Front Party
• United Ghana Movement
• United Gold Coast Convention conservatism
• United Love Party
• United National Convention
• United Nationalist Party
• United Party
• United Progressive Party social democracy
• United Renaissance Party
• Yes People's Party

Census, population and demographic documents the observatory has located for this country. These are links to the publishers’ own files — the library does not rehost them.

• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — End-year stock population figures for forcibly displaced and stateless persons residing in Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Asylum applications by asylum seekers originating from Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Asylum applications by asylum seekers residing in Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Solutions for refugees and IDPs residing in Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Asylum decisions taken on asylum claims of asylum seekers residing in Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Asylum decisions taken on asylum claims of asylum seekers originating from Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — End-year stock population figures for forcibly displaced persons originating from Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Demographics and locations of forcibly displaced people originating from Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Demographics and locations of forcibly displaced and stateless people residing in Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Data on forcibly displaced populations and stateless persons — Solutions for refugees and IDPs originating from Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - Education Indicators — Demographic and Socio-economic indicator list hdx csv
• Ghana - Education Indicators — Demographic and Socio-economic data hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — Birth Registration Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — SDGs Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — Anthropometry Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — FP2020 Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — IYCF Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — PMI/RBM Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — Child Mortality Rates Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — DHS Mobile Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — MICS indicators Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — MDGs Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — DHS Quickstats Data for Ghana hdx csv
• Ghana - National Demographic and Health Data — Anemia Data for Ghana hdx csv