GSS Data Reveals Over 900,000 People Living In Ashanti Region Multidimensionally Poor
- A newly released GSS survey report reveals that the Ashanti Region has the highest count of multidimensional poor people
- It is followed closely by the Northern Region, which has a multidimensional poverty count of about 800,000 individuals
- The GSS states this reflects a nationwide issue of widespread poverty and deprivation
The Ashanti Region has recorded the largest population of multidimensionally poor individuals in a recent Ghana Statistical Service survey.
The findings revealed a staggering 900,000 individuals in the region were multidimensionally poor.
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The multidimensional poverty index measures the percentage of households in a country deprived along three dimensions –monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services - to capture a more complete picture of poverty.
In Ghana, the population of multidimensionally poor people is 7.3 million, constituting 43.8% of the country’s total population.
The report revealed that the severity of poverty in rural and urban areas is similar, reflecting nationwide challenges.
Meanwhile, the Savannah Region takes the lead proportionally, with 49.5% of multidimensionally poor individuals living there, nearly double the national average.
Other regions with considerably high multidimensional poverty rates include the Northeast, Upper East, Northern and Oti Regions.
The Ashanti Region, despite its large population of multidimensionally poor people, percentage-wise, the proportion of multidimensionally poor people in the region makes it one of the lowest in the country.
On the other hand, the Ahafo Region has the lowest number of multidimensionally poor people, with about 100,000.
In northern Ghana, more than half the rural population is multidimensionally poor.
Meanwhile, female-headed households, large households, and younger or elderly-headed households are more likely to experience multidimensional poverty.
This is due to factors such as employment and living conditions.
850,000 Ghanaians pushed into poverty
YEN.com.gh reported that about 850,000 Ghanaians were impoverished because of high inflation in 2022.
The report also said food security was a significant problem in 2022, with 823,000 Ghanaians becoming food insecure by the end of the year.
Year-on-year inflation in Ghana rose from 14% in 2021 to 54% in 2023, the highest in over two decades.
The report explained that many Ghanaians struggled to satisfy their food needs as food prices increased.
The report added that the Cedi's depreciation also contributed to inflation by driving up the prices of imported goods and services.
Though Ghana increased the minimum wage, the report said the adjustment was too insignificant to cover the high inflation levels.
This led to the erosion of the living standards of poor Ghanaians especially.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
