More females unemployed than males in Ghana

Females between 15 and 24 hardest hit by unemployment

Rate of people available for work but unable to find jobs doubled recorded in 2010

Half a million persons 15 years and older are first time job seekers

The 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) shows that between males and females in Ghana, females are the most unemployed.

According to the report, the unemployment rate among the female population is 15.5 percent higher than the rate for males, which is 11.6 percent.

Also, economic activity among males is marginally higher than that of females, indicating that 63.5 percent of males and 53 percent of females were engaged in economic activities.

The Population and Housing Census also revealed that half a million persons 15 years and older are first time job seekers with almost equal numbers of males and females.

However, the report indicated that the country’s unemployment situation was now at its all-time high after increased population and low economic output.


It highlighted that the rate of people who were available for work but unable to find jobs had doubled to 13.4 percent in 2021 from the 5.3 percent recorded in 2010.

The 2021 figure, which was announced in the General Report on the 2021 Population and Housing Census, is now the highest since 1984 — when the country’s unemployment data was first reported.

Out of the economically active population of 11.54 million, the report showed that 1.55 million were unemployed.