Ghana ranks seventh among countries with the most educated politicians, according to a report published by The Economist.
The ranking is based on findings from two comprehensive studies that analyzed education levels among legislators in 56 countries with populations exceeding two million, using data from 2015, 2017, and 2023.
Topping the list is Ukraine, followed by Poland, Czech Republic, Taiwan, and South Korea in second, third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively. The United States placed sixth, with Ghana taking the seventh spot and Slovenia ranking eighth.
The studies revealed that globally, an average of 78% of parliamentarians held at least a bachelor’s degree, while 40% had postgraduate qualifications. This is significantly higher than the global average education level among the general population, which stands at 35% in wealthy countries and 15% in poorer nations.
Ukraine emerged as the leader in the rankings, with nearly a quarter of its legislators holding doctoral degrees during the study period. In contrast, countries like Italy, Norway, and the United Kingdom were noted for having a considerable proportion of lawmakers with only secondary education.
The research highlights that while having highly educated legislators is becoming more common worldwide, there is little empirical evidence to suggest a direct correlation between academic qualifications and superior legislative performance.
Despite this, the trend of filling parliaments with highly credentialed individuals continues to grow, potentially making national legislatures less representative of the populations they serve.