Latest figures released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), has it that, Ghana’s population is projected to reach 37.23 million in 2030 and 58.77 million in 2050.

The population projections from 2021 to 2050 indicate that nearly 72,000 people will be added each year to the country's population.

The report, launched in Accra on Tuesday, predicted that the proportion of children would decline to 29.1 percent, while the proportion of people aged 60 and above would increase to 10.8 percent by 2050.

GSS predictions relied on information from the 2021 population census, other historical data, and factors such as migration, fertility, and mortality rates.

The 2021 population census put Ghana’s population at 30.83 million, and the figure in 2024 is expected to be 1.07 times higher than in 2021.

Presenting highlights of the report, Dr. Faustina Frempong-Ainguah, Deputy Government Statistician in charge of Social and Population Statistics, said the population projection would help track the implementation of national, continental, and global development goals.

In the regional breakdown, she noted that the “population pressure on Accra will deepen” by 2030, with the population density in the region expected to reach about 2,143 persons per square kilometre by then.

On the other hand, the report established that the population in nine out of 16 regions “will continue to remain rural” by 2030. These include Volta, Oti, Western North, North East, Upper West, Savannah and Upper East Regions.

To that end, Dr Frempong-Ainguah, suggested more developmental projects and job creation in less populated areas to help “redistribute” the population in Accra.

She emphasized the need for efficient land use in the capital city, as an increasing number of people continue to move in for various economic activities.

“There is pressure on Accra but there are other things that can be done…In Accra, we can decide not to have one story buildings; we should be able to put up more high-rise buildings.

“There some areas that are not dense like Accra, factories can be set up and jobs created to attract people to move to those areas as well,” she told Ghana News Agency on the sidelines.

The government statistician also urged policy makers to make provisions for the elderly as there would be more people in that age bracket in future.

GSS again predicts that the number of people of school going age will reach 15.86 million in 2030 with that of Greater alone projected to reach 2.96 million by that period.