The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in its 2022 Labour Statistics report has revealed that 5.4 million Ghanaians in the labour force are multidimensionally poor.
Out of this figure, 4.8 million are those employed.
Multidimensional poverty encompasses the various deprivations experienced by poor people in their daily lives – such as poor health, lack of education, inadequate living standards, disempowerment, poor quality of work, the threat of violence, and living in areas that are environmentally hazardous, among others.
The report indicates that the part of the labour force being employed earn so little they are barely able to take care of their basic needs.
According to the GSS’s report, as of the 2nd quarter, 46% representing 14.1 million of the entire Ghanaian population were multidimensionally poor.
The data revealed that there are relatively more multidimensionally poor persons in the Ashanti Region than in any other region with a sizable number of 2.1 million in Q2 of 2022.
The report stated that among the multidimensionally poor, deprivation in health insurance coverage and unimproved toilet facilities are the plausible drivers of poverty in Ghana.
Deprivation in health is the largest contributor to multidimensional poverty, with a 44.1% rate, followed by standard of living at 32.8%, and education at 23.1% as of Q2 2022.
Meanwhile, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index Report 2022 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) indicates, that 24.6% of Ghana’s population based on a 2017/2018 survey, are multidimensionally poor.