Ghana: Discrepancy in expenditure estimate of GDP (constant LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ghana's discrepancy in expenditure estimate of GDP (constant LCU) rose 480.43 million on 2023 (from 56 to 480.43 million).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2023), the average change was +5.6 and a typical year strayed about 106.67 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4503849.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 480.43 million in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 148 in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 27% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Ghana had the 5th highest value of the 14 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ghana in the 2024 ranking

• Iraq — 1st of 14: 21.03 trillion
• Tajikistan — 2nd of 14: 3.74 billion
• Solomon Islands — 3rd of 14: 818.02 million
• Bahrain — 5th of 14: 43.22 million
• Bermuda — 6th of 14: 6.95 million
• Marshall Islands — 7th of 14: 2.18 million

What this measures

Although the SNA ensures there is perfect consistency between the three measures of GDP, this is a conceptual consistency that in general does not emerge naturally from data compilations. This is because of the wide disparity of data sources that must be called on and the fact that any error in any source will lead to a difference between at least two of the GDP measures. In practice it is inevitable that many such data errors will exist and will become apparent in exercises such as the balancing of supply and use tables. This indicator is expressed in constant prices, meaning the underlying series have been adjusted to account for price changes over time. The reference year for this adjustment varies by country.

All 12 values

Discrepancy in expenditure estimate of GDP (constant LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 16.86 trillion (2025)
• Benin — 0 (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 35.61 billion (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 2.09 billion (2025)
• Cameroon — -11.25 billion (2025)
• Central African Republic — 382,600 (2025)
• Comoros — 1.89 billion (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — -3.6 trillion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — -550.36 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Ghana

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$12.13 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$9.51 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) — US$24.3 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU) — 305.12 billion (2025)
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) — 21.28% (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$114.21 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 1.43 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$79.27 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 209.64 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ghana's discrepancy in expenditure estimate of GDP (constant LCU)?

480.43 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does Ghana rank?

5th highest of 14 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in discrepancy in expenditure estimate of GDP (constant LCU) unusual for Ghana?

In 2024, Ghana's discrepancy in expenditure estimate of GDP (constant LCU) rose 480.43 million on 2023 (from 56 to 480.43 million). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2023), the average change was +5.6 and a typical year strayed about 106.67 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4503849.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.DISC.KN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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