Trade in services in Ghana
Ghana: Trade in services was 21.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Trade in services in Ghana, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 21.6% for trade in services in 2025.
The figure is down 13.3% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services in Ghana peaked at 34.3% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 1983.
That places Ghana 99th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Trade in services in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 11.4% | — |
| 1976 | 13.5% | +18.0% |
| 1977 | 12.2% | -9.4% |
| 1978 | 10.8% | -11.5% |
| 1979 | 8.9% | -17.6% |
| 1980 | 8.5% | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 9.8% | +15.8% |
| 1982 | 8.2% | -16.2% |
| 1983 | 4.3% | -48.2% |
| 1984 | 4.7% | +10.0% |
| 1985 | 4.6% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 5.2% | +12.8% |
| 1987 | 6.8% | +32.1% |
| 1988 | 6.6% | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 6.8% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 6.6% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 6.7% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 9.0% | +35.9% |
| 1993 | 9.9% | +9.4% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 9.0% | -13.7% |
| 1996 | 8.4% | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 9.2% | +9.6% |
| 1998 | 14.7% | +60.0% |
| 1999 | 14.4% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 21.8% | +51.3% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 19.1% | -10.9% |
| 2003 | 20.3% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 20.1% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | +10.2% |
| 2006 | 14.0% | -37.0% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 18.1% | +26.6% |
| 2010 | 13.9% | -23.1% |
| 2011 | 13.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 18.2% | +30.5% |
| 2013 | 11.7% | -35.6% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 27.2% | +122.3% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 26.6% | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 26.3% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 34.3% | +30.5% |
| 2020 | 28.2% | -17.8% |
| 2021 | 25.9% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 26.0% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 24.7% | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 24.9% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 21.6% | -13.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.4% | 8.9% | 13.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 4.3% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.8% | 6.6% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.7% | 14.0% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 11.7% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.2% | 21.6% | 28.2% | 6 |
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)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 13.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1667 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 403.33 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 7.51 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3391 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 820.4 current US$ per person (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 38.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 4.82 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services in Ghana?
- Trade in services in Ghana was 21.6% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest trade in services recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 34.3% in 2019.
- What is the lowest trade in services recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 1983.
- How does Ghana rank for trade in services?
- Ghana ranks 99th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. 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 Trade in services (% 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
Total trade in services includes services provided by residents to non-residents plus services provided by non-residents to residents. 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.