One in Three Urban Ghanaians Live in Slum Conditions, New GSS Report Reveals

Ghana’s rapid urbanization continues to expose deep infrastructure and housing gaps, with a new report from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) revealing that nearly one in every three urban residents lives in slum conditions. The Slums and Informal Settlements Thematic Report, launched on June 30, 2025, offers the country’s most detailed portrait yet of informal settlements and their economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Drawing on the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the report shows that about 30.8% of Ghana’s urban population an estimated 4.8 million people live in slums. This figure surpasses the global average of 24.7% but remains below Sub-Saharan Africa‘s 53.9% benchmark.

While urbanization has fueled economic growth with Ghana’s urban population surging from 23.1% in 1960 to 56.7% in 2021 the growth has also overstretched housing supply, water, sanitation, and essential services. The report identifies the Northern, Savannah, Oti, Greater Accra, Central, and Ashanti regions as the hardest hit, with more than 2.2 million households grappling with insecure tenure and substandard living conditions.

At the report launch in Accra, Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu underscored the link between credible data and decisive urban investments.

“Every slum we transform and every household we uplift brings us closer to the safe, inclusive cities every Ghanaian deserves. Let’s build together,” he said, rallying policymakers, local governments, and private sector actors to act.

The data paints a stark picture, thus slum dwellers face a non-literacy rate of 30.8% compared to 14% in non-slum areas. Household mortality in slums is 42 deaths per 10,000 population, higher than the national urban average of 31. In addition, over half of slum households depend on polluting fuels, and waste management remains rudimentary 68.4% use uncovered bins, worsening health outcomes.

Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darko, Head of the Civil Service and Chair of the launch event, warned, “If we ignore this, we risk locking another generation into poverty. But if we respond with urgency and coordination, we can shift the direction.”

Prof. Stephen Owusu Kwankye, who led discussions on the findings, noted that the report breaks the myth that slums are isolated to specific parts of the country, highlighting instead how they correlate strongly with gaps in basic services.

Business analysts say the report’s findings should influence Ghana’s spatial planning and private sector investment strategies. As the country seeks to attract real estate developers and urban infrastructure financiers, addressing these deep housing deficits is essential to sustainable growth and poverty reduction.

The GSS urges Ministries, MMDAs, businesses, and development partners to align plans with Sustainable Development Goal 11 building inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities.

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