The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey unveils that more than 1.1 million children, aged 5 to 17 years, participated in various forms of work during the fourth quarter of 2023.
Approximately 893,000 of these children were involved in employment work, primarily comprising paid labor, according to the GSS.
In a statement issued to mark the World Day Against Child Labour, Government Statistician Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim elaborated that a majority of these working children are male, constituting 56%. Notably, 458,443 of these working children are not enrolled in school.
Prof. Annim further highlighted that urban areas accounted for over 309,199 working children, representing 28%, while rural areas had a significant share with 795,175 children, making up 72%.
Regarding regional distribution, Prof. Annim noted that the Ashanti Region had the highest percentage of working children at 13.6%, followed by the Bono East Region with 12.1%. Conversely, the Ahafo, Greater Accra, and Western North regions recorded the lowest percentages, at 0.8%, 1.6%, and 1.8%, respectively.
Additionally, he revealed that the services sector employed the majority of working children, at 91.7%, while the agriculture and industry sectors engaged 4.8% and 3.6% of these children, respectively.