Population Dynamics in Ghana
摘要
Ghana’s population has changed since 1960, both at the national and subnational levels. Against this background, this chapter examines Ghana’s population dynamics, highlighting their implications for the country’s development. The analysis shows that the population structure has changed over time, driven by declining fertility and mortality. Inter-regional migrations have also changed with Ghana’s population pyramid changing from a broad base to one depicting a youth bulge with signs of ageing. Regional shares of the country’s population have seen substantial changes, while urbanisation has been rapid but with visible regional disparities, with urban population ranging from the highest in the Greater Accra Region (over 90%) to Upper East Region (25.4%), the lowest. The implications of these changes are diverse, including the need to invest in the youth bulge to harness the demographic dividend associated with it for the country’s development, paying attention to the healthcare needs of a steadily ageing population relative to degenerative and non-communicable diseases while ensuring a fair distribution of the country’s spatial development across all regions. Furthermore, regional urbanisation disparities should be managed to reduce overconcentration in a few cities, that could heighten slum growth, deteriorating sanitation conditions and traffic congestion, which could increase stress conditions among urban populations. The chapter concludes that the future trend of Ghana’s population dynamics will depend on how declines in both childhood mortality and fertility can be sustained while ensuring fairness in resource allocation and spatial development across regions.