Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Ghana
Ghana: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP was 44.5% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Latest (2014)
44.5%
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
77th
of 193 countries
All-time high
58.8%
in 2004
All-time low
13.4%
in 1984
Years of data
65
1950–2014
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Ghana, 1950–2014
Source: Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Ghana is 44.5%, measured in 2014.
That represents a change of up 8.2% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Ghana peaked at 58.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 1984.
That places Ghana 77th out of 193 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 22.0% | — |
| 1951 | 24.5% | +11.2% |
| 1952 | 26.1% | +6.9% |
| 1953 | 26.5% | +1.3% |
| 1954 | 23.0% | -13.2% |
| 1955 | 27.5% | +19.8% |
| 1956 | 26.5% | -3.6% |
| 1957 | 27.6% | +3.9% |
| 1958 | 23.2% | -16.0% |
| 1959 | 27.1% | +17.2% |
| 1960 | 29.7% | +9.6% |
| 1961 | 30.6% | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 24.1% | -21.3% |
| 1963 | 23.6% | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 19.6% | -16.9% |
| 1965 | 21.8% | +11.0% |
| 1966 | 16.5% | -24.3% |
| 1967 | 18.0% | +8.9% |
| 1968 | 18.4% | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 17.8% | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 18.6% | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 17.2% | -7.1% |
| 1972 | 13.8% | -20.2% |
| 1973 | 18.3% | +32.8% |
| 1974 | 28.3% | +54.9% |
| 1975 | 28.1% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 30.7% | +9.0% |
| 1977 | 37.8% | +23.2% |
| 1978 | 30.1% | -20.3% |
| 1979 | 23.1% | -23.3% |
| 1980 | 25.5% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 29.9% | +17.3% |
| 1982 | 25.1% | -16.1% |
| 1983 | 18.8% | -24.8% |
| 1984 | 13.4% | -28.6% |
| 1985 | 17.6% | +31.0% |
| 1986 | 13.7% | -22.4% |
| 1987 | 21.7% | +59.0% |
| 1988 | 19.1% | -12.3% |
| 1989 | 24.2% | +27.1% |
| 1990 | 27.4% | +13.0% |
| 1991 | 21.9% | -20.0% |
| 1992 | 33.5% | +52.7% |
| 1993 | 34.8% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 38.0% | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 39.7% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 46.7% | +17.6% |
| 1997 | 48.7% | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 45.7% | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 42.1% | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 57.5% | +36.5% |
| 2001 | 50.4% | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 48.8% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 51.7% | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 58.8% | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 55.2% | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 34.3% | -37.8% |
| 2007 | 38.4% | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 42.8% | +11.4% |
| 2009 | 39.6% | -7.4% |
| 2010 | 39.5% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 42.8% | +8.5% |
| 2012 | 49.4% | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 41.2% | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 44.5% | +8.2% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 44.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 42.3%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 44.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 34.7%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 25.4% | 22.0% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 22.0% | 16.5% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 24.6% | 13.8% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.9% | 13.4% | 29.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.9% | 21.9% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.7% | 34.3% | 58.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.5% | 39.5% | 49.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 38.84 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0003 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1.11 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.91 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 8.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0167 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 54.42 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 23.42 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Ghana?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Ghana was 44.5% in 2014, according to Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 58.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 1984.
- How does Ghana rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- Ghana ranks 77th out of 193 countries with data for 2014.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimates correspond to merchandise import-to-GDP ratios for countries and regions. All ratios are taken at current prices. See source for more details.