International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in Ghana
Ghana: International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) was 3.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, expenditures in Ghana, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in % of total imports.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, expenditures in Ghana stood at 3.9%.
The figure is down 24.9% on the previous year and down 39.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in Ghana peaked at 8.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1997.
Ghana ranks 86th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of total imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.5% | — |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -28.9% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -6.0% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | +70.1% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 4.8% | +25.7% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +19.8% |
| 2003 | 5.2% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | +42.0% |
| 2006 | 6.9% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | +16.8% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | -14.6% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | +24.6% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | -26.6% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -16.9% |
| 2012 | 4.4% | -15.7% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | +12.7% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +37.5% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | +13.1% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | -19.9% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | -24.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 3.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.9%, 98% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 3.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.6%, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.3% | 4.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 4.6% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 4.4% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More private sector data for Ghana
- Merchandise trade 42.5% (2025)
- Food imports 13.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 58.0% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 17.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 14.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 19.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 5.8% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 31.11 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 10.06 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 887.14 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in Ghana?
- International tourism, expenditures in Ghana was 3.9% in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1997.
- How does Ghana rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- Ghana ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Their share in imports is calculated as a ratio to imports of goods and services, which comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from nonresidents to residents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.