Ghana's first postfreedom population census in 1960 counted about 6.7 million inhabitants. By 1970 the national census registered 8.5 million people, about a 27 % increase, while the most recent official census in 1984 recorded a figure of 12.3 million--almost double the 1960 figure. The nation's population was around to have increased to about 15 million in 1990 and to an around 17.2 million in mid-1994. With an annual growth rate of 2.2 % for the time between 1965 and 1980, a 3.4 % growth rate for 1981 through 1989, and a 1992 growth rate of 3.2 %, the nation's population is projected to surpass 20 million by the year 2000 and 35 million by 2025.

The population of Ghana in 2001 was 19,894,014, giving the nation a population density of 83 persons per sq km.Life expectancy at birth is around at 57.2 years, one of the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa. With a birth rate of 28.95 per 1,000 and a death rate of 10.26 per 1,000, the nation’s population growth rate is 1.79 % (2001 estimate). While this current rate of increase is moderate compared with other West African nations, Ghana’s population almost tripled from 1960 to 2000.