Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Ghana
Ghana: Travel services (% of commercial service exports) was 16.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Travel services in Ghana, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service exports.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 16.8% for travel services in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.3% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Ghana peaked at 77.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1981.
Ghana ranks 151st of 198 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.8% | — |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | -33.9% |
| 1978 | 0.7% | -42.7% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +59.6% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | -64.6% |
| 1981 | 0.3% | -11.4% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | +26.5% |
| 1983 | 3.4% | +684.8% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | +18.4% |
| 1985 | 5.1% | +24.8% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | -40.8% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -9.3% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | +34.8% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | +24.4% |
| 1990 | 5.6% | +21.5% |
| 1991 | 6.2% | +11.8% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | -21.3% |
| 1993 | 7.9% | +61.8% |
| 1994 | 7.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 7.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 8.8% | +11.0% |
| 1997 | 9.6% | +9.3% |
| 1998 | 66.4% | +591.3% |
| 1999 | 67.0% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 68.3% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 68.2% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 66.5% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 67.7% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 68.2% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 77.2% | +13.3% |
| 2006 | 69.3% | -10.2% |
| 2007 | 56.3% | -18.8% |
| 2008 | 58.9% | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 50.5% | -14.4% |
| 2010 | 46.1% | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 41.3% | -10.3% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | -30.9% |
| 2013 | 36.3% | +26.9% |
| 2014 | 45.4% | +25.1% |
| 2015 | 13.6% | -70.0% |
| 2016 | 13.5% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 13.1% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +15.7% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -90.0% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | +329.0% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | +61.2% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | +19.5% |
| 2024 | 13.1% | +9.1% |
| 2025 | 16.8% | +28.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 16.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 38.7%, 43% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 16.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.9%, 38% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services (% of commercial service exports) in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +684.8% | 0.4% | 3.4% |
| 1998 | +591.3% | 9.6% | 66.4% |
| 2021 | +329.0% | 1.4% | 6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.3% | 0.7% | 1.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 0.3% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.2% | 4.9% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.1% | 50.5% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.5% | 12.5% | 46.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.9% | 1.4% | 16.8% | 6 |
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 travel services in Ghana?
- Travel services in Ghana was 16.8% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 77.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1981.
- How does Ghana rank for travel services?
- Ghana ranks 151st out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.