Ghana's maternal deaths fell 37.9% in a decade and life expectancy reached 65.1 years, GSS says

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    Ghana's maternal deaths fell 37.9% in a decade and life expectancy reached 65.1 years, GSS says
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    Ghana's maternal mortality ratio fell from 485 to 301 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2010 and 2021, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says in its Ghana in Numbers report.

    That is a fall of 37.9%.

    Under-five mortality halved over a similar period, from 80 to 40 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2008 and 2022, the report says.

    Ghanaians are also living longer. Life expectancy rose from 40.3 years in 1960 to 65.1 years in 2021, a gain of 24.8 years.

    The report puts Ghana's population at 33.7 million in 2025, but says growth is slowing. The annual growth rate fell from 2.7% in 1984 to 2000 to 2.1% in 2010 to 2021, which stretches the time the population takes to double from 26 years to 33 years.

    Young people aged 15 to 35 now number about 12 million, the largest youth population in the country's history, according to GSS. The report notes that many of them cannot find work.

    The report does not give a maternal mortality figure for years after 2021 or break the decline down by region.

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    Figures used

    • Maternal mortality, 2010: 485 deaths per 100,000 live births (GSS)
    • Maternal mortality, 2021: 301 deaths per 100,000 live births (GSS)
    • Under-five mortality, 2022: 40 deaths per 1,000 live births (down from 80 in 2008)
    • Life expectancy, 2021: 65.1 years (up from 40.3 in 1960)

    How we checked it

    Before publication every StatsGH story must report a current, sourced statistic about Ghana, link to its source and not repeat an event we have already covered. Figures are taken from the source report as published and were current on 3 November 2026.

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