GhArticles.com Every News in Detail
Data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census shows that 7,317,555 Ghanaians, accounting for 24.3% of the household population, are living in multidimensional poverty.
Among these, 43.8% face severe poverty, experiencing multiple deprivations at once.
The report highlights that 3,757,628 of the poor are females, and 3,559,927 are males.
In rural areas, 36.7% of the population is multidimensionally poor.
The Ashanti Region has the highest number of multidimensionally poor individuals, totaling 959,031, followed by the Northern Region with 873,742. The Ahafo Region has the fewest at 135,644.
The Savannah Region has the highest proportion of multidimensionally poor households at 49.5%, which is about twice the national average of 24.3%.
Multidimensional poverty measures non-monetary deprivations across various aspects of life.
Mr. Omar Seidu, Director and Social Statistician at the Ghana Statistical Service, announced these findings at the launch of the Ghana Multidimensional Poverty Report in Accra.
The report covers all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and Districts in the country.
Employment (32.6%) and living conditions (27.9%) are the largest contributors to multidimensional poverty. Employment and health insurance, two of the 13 indicators, account for over 54.1% of the poverty incidence in Ghana.
Asokwa Municipal in the Ashanti Region has the lowest proportion of multidimensionally poor residents at 6.3%. Nabdam in the Upper East Region has the highest at 68.6%.
The report indicates that households with heads under 25 or over 60 years old experience the highest levels of multidimensional poverty.
Households headed by those in the agricultural sector (34.3%) are poorer than those in industry (8.9%) and services (6.2%).
Additionally, households with widowed heads have a 32.0% incidence of multidimensional poverty.
Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, Government Statistician, emphasized the report’s importance to Ghana’s goal of achieving Sustainable Development Goal One: “Ending Poverty in All its Forms Everywhere.”
He stated that the report pinpoints areas with the greatest deprivation, aiding in resource allocation and monitoring development programs.
“This report is not only crucial for understanding the complex nature of poverty but also underscores the need for integrated and comprehensive policy responses,” he said.
