A recent survey by Afrobarometer has revealed that a significant majority of Ghanaians are considering leaving the country, with many citing economic improvement as the primary motivation.
The survey, conducted in December 2024, found that 61 per cent of respondents expressed a desire to emigrate, representing a 20 per cent increase from the 41 per cent recorded in 2017.
Additionally, the survey indicated that 44 per cent of Ghanaians have actively thought about leaving the country, marking a dramatic rise of over 100 per cent from the 20 per cent who reported the same in 2017.
The Afrobarometer survey, conducted by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development and involving 2,400 Ghanaian adults in August 2024, revealed that work opportunities were cited as the most significant reason for seeking greener pastures abroad.
This was closely followed by economic hardship or poverty. 3 per cent of respondents selected tourism and better business prospects, respectively, while 2 per cent chose education as their main reason for wanting to leave the country.
“The proportion of citizens who have given “a lot” of thought to emigrating has more than doubled since 2017. The most common reasons are the search for work opportunities and the desire to escape economic hardship,” the report read.
“The highly educated, young people, and unemployed citizens are most likely to consider emigration. North America is the most popular destination, followed by Europe,” it added.
Key findings
▪ Six in 10 respondents (61 per cent) say they have considered leaving Ghana, a 20-percentage-point increase compared to 2017 (41 per cent) (Figure 1). The share who say they have given “a lot” of thought to the idea has more than doubled, from 20 per cent to 44 per cent.
Thoughts of emigrating are most common among the most educated citizens (78 per cent of those with post-secondary education) and the youth (72 per cent of 18- to 35-
year-olds).
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of people who are currently unemployed have thought about leaving Ghana, while nearly as many part-time workers (65 per cent) and full-time workers (63 per cent) have considered emigration.
▪ The most common reasons cited for potential emigration are finding work opportunities (55 per cent) and escaping economic hardship (33 per cent).
▪ The most popular destinations among potential emigrants are North America (55 per cent) and Europe (24 per cent).
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 were launched in January 2024. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,400 adult Ghanaians in August 2024.
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