1 in 5 Ghanaians Paid Bribes in 2024 to Access Public Services-New Report

A new report from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has unveiled a sobering snapshot of corruption in the country’s public sector, revealing that nearly one in five Ghanaians, thus 18.4% who engaged with public officials in 2024 paid bribes, primarily in cash, to access essential services.

The data, part of the GSS’s inaugural “Governance Series Wave 1 Report,” highlights deep-seated integrity challenges within public institutions. The findings raise red flags for Ghana’s investment climate, business confidence, and long-term governance sustainability.

“The data points to a worrying disconnect between citizens and the institutions meant to serve them. Reducing corruption is not just a legal obligation it’s a social imperative,” said Omar Seidu, Head of Social Statistics at the GSS, calling for urgent systemic reforms to restore public confidence.

The report goes beyond surface-level statistics to show disturbing demographic and regional trends. Men were significantly more likely to pay bribes, comprising 68.3% of such cases, compared to 31.7% for women. Urban areas typically viewed as administrative and economic hubs also recorded higher incidences of bribery, accounting for 64.3% of reported cases versus 35.7% in rural locations.

Persons with disabilities were notably vulnerable. The report found that 21.1% of this group admitted to paying bribes, with those facing physical impairments being most affected at 40.1%, followed by individuals with visual impairments at 32.5%.

Regionally, Greater Accra emerged as the epicenter of bribery at 22.0%, trailed by the Ashanti Region at 18.1%. In contrast, the Savannah and North East regions posted the lowest corruption rates, recording just 1.0% and 1.1%, respectively highlighting stark disparities in governance experiences across the country.

More broadly, the report paints a picture of widespread disenchantment with public engagement. An overwhelming 70% of respondents believe that the current system offers little or no room for citizens to influence decision-making an indictment that may have implications for democratic accountability and civic participation.

For the business community, these findings carry particular weight. Corruption adds hidden costs, erodes fair competition, and undermines the predictability of public sector dealings factors critical to both local entrepreneurs and foreign investors. The GSS Governance Series is being positioned as a pivotal tool for reform, providing hard data to guide policymakers, civil society, and development partners in crafting targeted anti-corruption strategies.

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