Like many developing nations, Ghana continues to experience brain drain—the loss of skilled workers to foreign countries.
In this roundup, we look at the various aspects of this phenomenon, from its boom in the 1960s to recent emigration trends, particularly in the health and education sectors.
Key takeaways
- 68% of Ghanaian doctors and nurses emigrated between 1993 and 2000.
- Due to continued migration, Ghana is projected to lose over 7,000 physicians by 2025.
- Ghana loses about US$415 million due to physician migration, weakening the health sector and causing financial loss to the state.
- Over 5000 nurses have left Ghana since the coronavirus outbreak, with about 500 emigrating every month.
- As of 2024, 60% of Ghanaian nurses want to emigrate, citing poor working conditions and inadequate pay.
- In 2023, over 10,000 Ghanaian teachers obtained certifications to teach in the UK, with over 16,000 applications submitted to the UK’s Department of Education.
- Over 1 million Ghanaians live abroad as of 2020, a sharp rise from the 716,044 in 2010.
Historical statistics
1. The mass emigration of Ghanaian professionals became popular in the late 1960s. (Ghana Statistical Service)
When Ghana’s economy took a downturn in the 1960s, many Ghanaian professionals—including teachers, lawyers, and administrators—left the country to seek better job opportunities in other African countries, including Uganda, Nigeria, Zambia, and Botswana.
2. In the 1980s, 13% of members of the Ghana Institute of Architects emigrated and worked in Nigeria. (Ghana Statistical Service)
By the 1980s, the trend continued as Ghanaian architects began migrating, particularly to Nigeria. Of the 163 members, 13% had addresses in Nigeria.
Additionally, 50% of architects who had studied at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology had migrated to Nigeria for better job opportunities.
3. Between 1971 and 1985, Ghana lost about 14,000 teachers to migration. (African Affairs Vol. 85)
Between 1971 and 1985, Ghana experienced a significant brain drain in the education sector, losing about 14,000 teachers to migration. Among these, about 3,000 were university graduates.
Many of these professionals left the country for many reasons, including poor job satisfaction, lack of motivation, and inadequate remuneration.
4. 68% of doctors and nurses emigrated to other countries between 1993 and 2000. (CORE Research)
From 1993 to 2000, 68% of Ghana’s medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, emigrated to practise in developed countries.
5. About 300 Ghanaians migrated to Nigeria daily in the early 1980s, but over 900,000 were deported in 1983. (Ghana Statistical Service, OECD)
In the early 1980s, many semi-skilled and unskilled Ghanaians left the country due to an economic collapse in Ghana, which caused shortages of basic amenities and food. During this period, about 300 Ghanaians left for Nigeria each day.
However, in 1983, Nigeria forcefully expelled between 900,000 and 1.2 million Ghanaians in retaliation for Ghana’s 1969 deportation of Nigerians—an event known as “Ghana Must Go.” Despite this, by 2020, approximately 238,000 Ghanaians were living in Nigeria.
6. Over 21,000 Ghanaians had migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) by 1996. (Ghana Statistical Service, Office of National Statistics)
In the 1990s, Ghanaian migration shifted to the global north, with many settling in Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. The UK recorded 21,485 Ghanaians between 1990 and 2001. This number grew to about 94,000 by 2015 and around 113,000 in 2021.
7. Between 1986 and 2001, over 49,000 Ghanaians migrated to the USA. (Ghana Statistical Service, Migration Policy)
Similarly, from 1986 to 2001, 49,703 Ghanaians migrated to the USA. By 2001, 104,000 Ghanaians lived in the USA and 114,335 in Canada. In 2015, the Ghanaian population in the USA had surged to approximately 235,000.
Ghana emigration statistics
8. Over 1 million Ghanaians lived abroad as of 2020. (OECD, IOM)
As of 2020, about one million Ghanaians lived abroad, a significant increase from the 716,044 recorded in 2010. Ghanaian emigrants were nearly evenly distributed between other African countries and other OECD countries—USA, UK, Italy, Germany, and Canada.
9. 44% of Ghanaians have expressed their desire to leave Ghana permanently. (OECD)
In a 2022 study by the OECD, 44% of Ghanaians expressed their wish to permanently leave Ghana, making Ghana the third highest among countries in the ECOWAS region after Sierra Leone and Liberia.
| Country/Region | % Emigration Intent |
| Sierra Leone | 61% |
| Liberia | 58% |
| Ghana | 44% |
10. Nearly 300,000 Ghanaians emigrated from Ghana in 2021. (Ghana Statistical Service)
According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, 293,416 Ghanaians lived outside Ghana, up from 250,624 in 2010—a rise of 42,792 people in a decade.
11. The average age of emigrants from Ghana is 35 years. (Ghana Statistical Service)
In 2021, 77.2% of Ghanaian emigrants were aged between 20 and 49, primarily comprising the country’s youthful population. This means 3 out of 4 people who move are aged 20 to 49.
12. Most of Ghana’s emigrant population comes from rural areas. (Ghana Statistical Service)
Among Ghana’s youthful emigrant population (20-49), 78.6% came from rural areas in 2021. This percentage highlights a significant rural-to-international migration trend.
13. Children and senior citizens are less likely to leave Ghana. (Ghana Statistical Service)
As of 2021, children under 15 formed less than 2% of Ghana’s emigrant population. Ghanaians in the 50-54 age group accounted for 7.6%, and those over 80 represented just 0.3%, as seen in the table below:
| Age Group | Male (%) | Female (%) | Total (%) |
| 0-4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 5-9 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| 10-14 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| 15-19 | 3.9 | 5.8 | 4.6 |
| 20-24 | 9.0 | 10.9 | 9.7 |
| 25-29 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.3 |
| 30-34 | 16.0 | 15.8 | 15.9 |
| 35-39 | 15.4 | 15.6 | 15.5 |
| 40-44 | 13.0 | 11.9 | 12.5 |
| 45-49 | 10.1 | 9.1 | 9.8 |
| 50-54 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 7.6 |
| 55-59 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| 60-64 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
| 65-69 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| 70-74 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| 75-79 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 80-84 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 85-89 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 90-94 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 95+ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Median Age | 36 | 35 | 35 |
14. 53.7% of emigrants come from the Greater Accra and Ashanti Region. (Ghana Statistical Service)
In 2021, over half of Ghana’s emigrant population came from the Greater Accra (26.9%) and Ashanti (26.8%) regions. The Bono Region followed at 8.5%, with the Central, Western, and Eastern regions recording 7.3%, 7.1%, and 6.8%, respectively.
15. The Upper West Region has the highest number of emigrants from rural areas. (Ghana Statistical Service)
As of 2021, 89.3% of Ghanaian emigrants from the Upper West Region were from rural areas. The list below shows other regions with high emigrant populations from rural areas:
- Oti Region (87.5%)
- Savannah Region (82.4%)
- Upper East Region (82.8%)
- Western North Region (81.1%)
- North East Region (80.8%)
Although Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions had the highest number of emigrants, the majority were from urban areas.
16. 37.6% of emigrants from Ghana had moved to Europe as of 2021. (Ghana Statistical Service)
As of 2021, 110,239 Ghanaians had emigrated to Europe, with 69,884 males and 40,355 females. This accounted for 37.6% of Ghana’s total emigrant population.
17. 23.7% of Ghanaian emigrants had moved to the Americas as of 2021. (Ghana Statistical Service)
In 2021, 69,600 Ghanaians emigrated to the Americas. This figure was significantly higher than the 49,703 Ghanaians who moved to the USA only between 1986 and 2001.
18. 33.3% of Ghana’s emigrant population lived in African countries as of 2021. (Ghana Statistical Service)
As of 2021, 33.3% of Ghanaian emigrants lived in African countries. Among these, 23.3% lived in ECOWAS countries, while the remaining 10% were across other African countries.
19. Women are more likely to emigrate for marriage or family reunification than men. (Ghana Statistical Service)
As of 2021, 9.6% of Ghanaian emigrants left to join their spouses or family. Among them, the percentage of women (13.7%) was nearly double that of men (7.4%).
Ghana brain drain statistics
20. Since the coronavirus outbreak, over 5000 nurses have emigrated from Ghana for better opportunities. (Global Partnership Network)
Over 5000 Ghanaian nurses left the country for better work opportunities in Europe and North America following the coronavirus pandemic. On average, about 500 nurses leave the country every month.
21. 60% of Ghanaian nurses want to leave Ghana. (Global Partnership Network)
As of 2024, 60% of Ghanaian nurses expressed their desire to emigrate, with many already leaving. Some cited poor working conditions, limited opportunities, inadequate training, low wages, and economic and political instability as reasons for leaving Ghana.
22. In 2022, the UK registered 1,200 Ghanaian nurses. (BBC News, Global Partnership Network)
In 2022, over 1,200 Ghanaian nurses joined the UK’s nursing register, with many coming from major hospitals in Ghana.
23. Over 10,000 teachers have left Ghana for the UK. (BBC News)
As of 2023, over 10,000 Ghanaian teachers had received teaching certifications to teach in the UK, with over 16,000 applications submitted to the UK’s Department of Education.
The teachers cited high living costs and poor work conditions as their main reasons for leaving Ghana and seeking employment in more developed countries.
What is the biggest cause of brain drain?
24. 90.48% of final-year medical students and junior doctors cite “better career opportunities” as their reason for emigrating. (ResearchGate)
A 2023 study found that 90.48% of final-year medical students and junior doctors cited better career opportunities as their primary reason for wanting to emigrate. This was followed by improved conditions of service, better equipment and facilities, shorter training periods, and family/spouse residing abroad.
| Reason for Emigration | Percentage (%) |
| Better career opportunities | 90.48 |
| Improved service conditions | 87.62 |
| Better equipment and facilities | 86.67 |
| Shorter training periods | 20.95 |
| Family/spouse living abroad | 14.29 |
25. Employment is the main reason Ghanaians emigrate to other countries. (Ghana Statistical Service, OECD)
73.4% of migrants leave Ghana for better employment opportunities. Ghanaian migrants living in English-speaking countries are more likely to be employed than those living in non-English-speaking countries like Germany.
26. 14.6% of Ghanaian emigrants leave for educational reasons. (Ghana Statistical Service, US Embassy, ICEF Monitor)
About 20,000 Ghanaians are studying abroad. In 2023, 6,468 Ghanaians travelled to the USA to study, making that figure the highest yet.
Additionally, 4,140 Ghanaians enrolled in graduate programmes during the 2022/2023 academic year, making Ghana the 14th largest sender of graduate students to the USA.
In that same year, Canada welcomed 9,235 students, while the UK recorded 3,925 Ghanaian international students in 2021/2022.
27. Between 2016 and 2020, 6% of resident permits were granted to Ghanaians for work reasons. (OECD)
Only 6% of Ghanaians were granted resident permits for work reasons in OECD countries, while over 50% were for family reunification. The remaining 32% were for other reasons, including humanitarian grounds.
28. There are approximately 14,000 Ghanaian refugees worldwide. (OECD)
As of 2020, there were around 14,000 Ghanaian refugees globally, with 61% living in Togo, primarily due to land disputes and ethnic clashes between 1982 and 1994. Italy and Germany followed with approximately 2500 and 600 refugees, respectively.
29. In 2020, approximately 10,000 pending asylum applications were filed by Ghanaians worldwide, with 2,500 in Brazil. (OECD)
In 2020, around 10,000 Ghanaians had pending asylum applications globally, with a noticeable shift toward South American nations.
Brazil alone received a quarter of the applications, a significant increase from 2014, when 1,000 Ghanaians sought asylum during the FIFA World Cup.
Why is brain drain bad for a country?
30. Ghana loses about US$415 million due to physician migration. (ResearchGate)
A 2023 study revealed that the medical brain drain costs Ghana about US$415 million, weakening the health sector and causing financial loss to the state.
31. More than a quarter of Ghanaian-born workers in the USA are employed in the healthcare sector. (OECD)
Between 2017 and 2019, 29% of Ghanaian-born workers in the USA were employed in healthcare, with 14% working as healthcare practitioners and 15% in support roles. Most of the workforce in this sector was made up of women.
32. Ghana is expected to lose over 7,000 physicians by 2025. (ResearchGate)
With the rising trend of medical professionals emigrating to more developed countries, Ghana is projected to lose approximately 7,876 doctors by 2025.
Conclusion
Over the past decades, the rate of Ghanaians migrating to foreign countries for better economic opportunities and living conditions has steadily increased. This trend has been particularly pronounced in the health and education sectors.
So, is Ghana losing its best minds? Based on the statistics and facts provided, the country continues to lose its skilled professionals, impacting its socio-economic progress. Unless addressed, the trend will continue to hinder Ghana’s growth. What are your thoughts on these insights?
