Total waste generation in Ghana
Ghana: Total waste generation was 15.83 million tonnes in 2015. ▲ Rising
Total waste generation in Ghana, 2000–2015
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2015, total waste generation in Ghana stood at 15.83 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 96.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total waste generation in Ghana peaked at 15.83 million tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.77 million tonnes, in 2004.
That places Ghana 6th out of 62 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Total waste generation in Ghana, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.78 million tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 7.03 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 8.25 million tonnes | +17.3% |
| 2003 | 8.24 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6.77 million tonnes | -17.9% |
| 2005 | 8.06 million tonnes | +19.0% |
| 2006 | 8.22 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 10.83 million tonnes | +31.7% |
| 2008 | 10.95 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 13.63 million tonnes | +24.4% |
| 2010 | 12.42 million tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 14.16 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 14.95 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 15.11 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 15.52 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 15.83 million tonnes | +2.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 15.83 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.87 million tonnes, 8.5× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total waste generation 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +31.7% | 8.22 million tonnes | 10.83 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.88 million tonnes | 6.77 million tonnes | 13.63 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.67 million tonnes | 12.42 million tonnes | 15.83 million tonnes | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More environment data for Ghana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -13.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.26 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.34 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.72 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.8796 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total waste generation in Ghana?
- Total waste generation in Ghana was 15.83 million tonnes in 2015, according to United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total waste generation recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 15.83 million tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest total waste generation recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.77 million tonnes in 2004.
- How does Ghana rank for total waste generation?
- Ghana ranks 6th out of 62 countries with data for 2015.
- Is total waste generation rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 96.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total waste generation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total waste generation, by activity (Tonnes).