Ghana's domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.86% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.00503 percentage points from 1.86% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 1.86% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 1.37% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 1.86% | 2013 |
| Highest | 2.53% | 2020 |
| Lowest | 0.65% | 2002 |
| Average since 2014 | 1.78% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 0.73% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Ghana's domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.04% to 1.86%).
Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.81 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.45 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.09 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 47% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, Ghana had the 134th highest value of the 183 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 1.86% | 2023 |
| World | 6.14% | 2023 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 1.92% | 2023 |
| Lower middle income | 1.34% | 2023 |
Closest to Ghana in the 2023 ranking
- Kenya — 130th of 183: 1.95%
- Nepal — 131st of 183: 1.93%
- Tajikistan — 132nd of 183: 1.9%
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 134th of 183: 1.83%
- Guyana — 135th of 183: 1.73%
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 136th of 183: 1.58%
What this measures
Public expenditure on health from domestic sources as a share of the economy as measured by GDP.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 24 values
| Year | Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.86 |
| 2022 | 2.04 |
| 2021 | 2.1 |
| 2020 | 2.53 |
| 2019 | 1.97 |
| 2018 | 1.37 |
| 2017 | 1.63 |
| 2016 | 1.3 |
| 2015 | 1.59 |
| 2014 | 1.41 |
| 2013 |
Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Angola — 1.13% (2023)
- Benin — 0.49% (2023)
- Botswana — 4.72% (2023)
- Burkina Faso — 2.45% (2023)
- Burundi — 1.34% (2023)
- Cabo Verde — 3.43% (2023)
- Cameroon — 0.67% (2023)
- Central African Republic — 1.53% (2023)
- Chad — 1.26% (2023)
More health data for Ghana
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 11.99% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 12.39% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 6.13 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 34.94% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 6.29 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 35.92% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 12.42 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 35.43% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 11.63% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Ghana's domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP)?
- 1.86% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is up 1.13 percentage points from 0.73% in 2000. The highest value was 2.53% in 2020 and the lowest 0.65% in 2002.
- How does Ghana rank?
- 134th highest of 183 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP) unusual for Ghana?
- In 2023, Ghana's domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.04% to 1.86%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.34 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.XPD.GHED.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: http://apps.who.int/nha/database 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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