Statistical Service highlights vulnerabilities of migrants on International Migrants Day

Attached below is a copy of the Press Statement issued by the Ghana Statistical Service to mark International Migrants Day.

Findings from the 2021 Population and Housing Census indicate that there are 11,717 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ghana.

The reasons for internal displacement are socio-political1 factors (55.2% of IDPs) or natural disaster2 (44.8% of IDPs). One in every ten (10.7%) of the IDPs have stayed less than one year in their current place of residence with six in ten (60.8%) having been displaced for 5 years or more.

More than half of (57.3%) of IDPs reside in four regions: Greater Accra (19.2%), Northern (14.1%) Ashanti (13.7%) and Central (10.2%) regions.

The adult literacy rate for IDPs is twice that of persons that are not displaced: four in every ten (41.3%) IDPs aged 15 years and older are not literate compared to two in every ten (21.9%) non-IDPs.

The percent of children aged 4 to 17 years who have never been to school is three times higher for IDPs (15.2%) than non- IDPs (4.8%).

The census also provides statistics on international migrants in Ghana. The leading drivers of immigration to Ghana is employment (36.9%), settlement (22.7%) and marriage or family unification (25.0%).

For males, getting employment (49.8%) is the most frequent purpose for migration while for females, it is migration for marriage or family unification (46.9%).

A greater share of migrants is male (60.5%) compared to females (39.5%). Almost half (48.3%) of international migrants have lived in Ghana for five years or more.

These statistics were released on International Migrants Day which is commemorated annually on 18th December to highlight the contribution of migrants and the challenges they face.