Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: MULTIDIMENSIONAL poverty in the country has steadily declined from 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 to 21.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, a study by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed.
The Quarterly Multidimensional Poverty Report, covering the first quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025, disclosed that between the second quarter of 2025 and the third quarter of 2025, the multidimensional poor population reduced by a little over 360,000 persons. Within one year, between the third quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2025, about 950,000 people moved out of multidimensional poverty.
Multidimensional poverty refers to a situation where a person is considered poor not only because of low income, but also because they experience several deprivations at the same time, such as poor health, inadequate housing or limited access to education. Speaking at the launch of the report in Accra on January 21, the Government Statistician, Alhassan Iddrisu, said while Ghana was making progress in reducing multidimensional poverty, significant regional disparities remained.
Urban poverty higher
He said the report revealed that urban poverty was higher than rural poverty in some instances, while overall trends showed persistent inequalities across regions. Dr Iddrisu explained that the incidence of multidimensional poverty in the third quarter of 2025 was largely driven by health and living conditions, which together accounted for more than 70 per cent of overall deprivation.
Health alone contributed 40.9 per cent of multidimensional poverty, while living conditions accounted for 30.8 per cent, underscoring the need for targeted interventions in those areas. The North East and Savannah Regions recorded poverty incidence rates of above 50 per cent in the second and third quarters of 2025, far exceeding the national average of 21.9 per cent. In contrast, regions such as Greater Accra and Western recorded incidences below 20 per cent.