Current account balance in Ghana
Ghana: Current account balance was 8.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in Ghana, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 8.2% for current account balance in 2025. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 328.3% on the previous year and up 243.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in Ghana peaked at 8.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, -12.5%, in 1999.
Ghana ranks 23rd of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 0.6% | — |
| 1976 | -2.7% | -528.2% |
| 1977 | -2.5% | -6.6% |
| 1978 | -1.3% | -49.8% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | -344.9% |
| 1980 | 0.7% | -77.9% |
| 1981 | -9.9% | -1561.3% |
| 1982 | -2.7% | -73.2% |
| 1983 | -4.2% | +59.6% |
| 1984 | -0.9% | -79.3% |
| 1985 | -3.0% | +238.1% |
| 1986 | -1.5% | -50.0% |
| 1987 | -1.9% | +29.7% |
| 1988 | -1.3% | -33.1% |
| 1989 | -1.8% | +38.5% |
| 1990 | -3.8% | +112.0% |
| 1991 | -3.8% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | -5.9% | +53.9% |
| 1993 | -9.4% | +59.3% |
| 1994 | -4.7% | -50.1% |
| 1995 | -2.2% | -52.4% |
| 1996 | -4.4% | +99.1% |
| 1997 | -5.9% | +32.3% |
| 1998 | -7.0% | +19.1% |
| 1999 | -12.5% | +79.2% |
| 2000 | -7.8% | -37.9% |
| 2001 | -8.0% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | -1.7% | -78.8% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -178.1% |
| 2004 | -6.6% | -598.8% |
| 2005 | -10.3% | +54.7% |
| 2006 | -5.1% | -50.8% |
| 2007 | -9.6% | +89.5% |
| 2008 | -11.6% | +21.1% |
| 2009 | -7.3% | -37.2% |
| 2010 | -8.5% | +17.2% |
| 2011 | -9.0% | +5.5% |
| 2012 | -11.9% | +32.2% |
| 2013 | -9.1% | -23.7% |
| 2014 | -6.8% | -25.6% |
| 2015 | -5.7% | -15.5% |
| 2016 | -5.0% | -11.7% |
| 2017 | -3.3% | -34.3% |
| 2018 | -3.0% | -8.3% |
| 2019 | -2.7% | -10.3% |
| 2020 | -3.0% | +11.8% |
| 2021 | -2.8% | -7.5% |
| 2022 | -2.3% | -17.3% |
| 2023 | -0.9% | -60.9% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -310.5% |
| 2025 | 8.2% | +328.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -0.5% | -2.7% | 3.1% | 5 |
| 1980s | -2.6% | -9.9% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | -5.9% | -12.5% | -2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | -6.7% | -11.6% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | -6.5% | -11.9% | -2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | -3.0% | 8.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 20 Congo 11.6% compare
- 21 Iran, Islamic Republic of 11.4% compare
- 22 Netherlands 9.1% compare
- 24 South Sudan 7.9% compare
- 25 Faroe Islands 7.8% compare
- 26 French Polynesia 7.5% compare
More economy & growth data for Ghana
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.15 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 9.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3476 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 840.84 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 239.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 280.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 25.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 2.67 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 8,702 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in Ghana?
- Current account balance in Ghana was 8.2% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was -12.5% in 1999.
- How does Ghana rank for current account balance?
- Ghana ranks 23rd out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 243.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.