Minimum capital for starting a business in Ghana
Ghana: Minimum capital for starting a business was 4.3% in 2012. ◆ Volatile
Minimum capital for starting a business in Ghana, 2003–2012
Source: World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/). Measured in % of income per capita.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 4.3% for minimum capital for starting a business in 2012. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.8% on the previous year and down 89.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, minimum capital for starting a business in Ghana peaked at 41.6% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2012.
Ghana ranks 25th of 51 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Minimum capital for starting a business in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of income per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 41.6% | — |
| 2004 | 31.4% | -24.5% |
| 2005 | 27.9% | -11.1% |
| 2006 | 23.2% | -16.8% |
| 2007 | 20.9% | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 16.6% | -20.6% |
| 2009 | 13.4% | -19.3% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -51.5% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | -15.4% |
| 2012 | 4.3% | -21.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25.0% | 13.4% | 41.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 4.3% | 6.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 22 Angola 24.6% compare
- 23 Gabon 22.3% compare
- 24 Equatorial Guinea 11.7% compare
- 26 Eswatini 0.4% compare
- 27 Botswana 0.0%
- 27 Burundi 0.0%
- 27 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.0%
- 27 Egypt 0.0% compare
- 27 Gambia 0.0%
- 27 Kenya 0.0%
- 27 Lesotho 0.0% compare
- 27 Liberia 0.0%
- 27 Madagascar 0.0% compare
- 27 Malawi 0.0%
- 27 Mauritius 0.0%
- 27 Morocco 0.0% compare
- 27 Mozambique 0.0% compare
- 27 Namibia 0.0%
- 27 Nigeria 0.0%
- 27 Rwanda 0.0%
- 27 Seychelles 0.0%
- 27 Sierra Leone 0.0%
- 27 South Africa 0.0%
- 27 Sudan 0.0%
- 27 Tanzania, United Republic of 0.0%
- 27 Tunisia 0.0% compare
- 27 Uganda 0.0%
- 27 Zambia 0.0% compare
- 27 Zimbabwe 0.0%
More private sector data for Ghana
- Merchandise trade 42.5% (2025)
- Food imports 13.7% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 51.5% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 17.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 18.1% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 6.0% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 31.11 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 887.14 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2724 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 62.31 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is minimum capital for starting a business in Ghana?
- Minimum capital for starting a business in Ghana was 4.3% in 2012, according to World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).
- What is the highest minimum capital for starting a business recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2003.
- What is the lowest minimum capital for starting a business recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2012.
- How does Ghana rank for minimum capital for starting a business?
- Ghana ranks 25th out of 51 countries with data for 2012.
- Is minimum capital for starting a business rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 89.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/), published as part of Minimum capital for starting a business (% of income per capita). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The paid-in minimum capital requirement reflects the amount that the entrepreneur needs to deposit in a bank or with a notary before registration and up to 3 months following incorporation and is recorded as a percentage of the country’s income per capita. The amount is typically specified in the commercial code or the company law. Many countries have a minimum capital requirement but allow businesses to pay only a part of it before registration, with the rest to be paid after the first year of operation. For more information, visit http://www.doingbusiness.org/MethodologySurveys/.