The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed that the elderly population has increased almost 10 times in the past six decades from a little over 200,000 (213,477) in 1960 to almost 2 million (1,991,736) in 2021.

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GSS, in a statement to mark the International Day of Older Persons, shared its findings which reveal that the elderly population (60 years and above) comprises 861,830 (43.3%) males and 1,129,906 (56.7%) females.

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The report further indicates that 341,960 elderly persons are living alone, with 62,480 out of that number being 80 years and older.

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The findings also indicated that one out of every four (25.7%) elderly persons is multi-dimensionally poor, slightly lower than what prevails in the total population (29.9%).

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“The incidence of multidimensional poverty among the elderly ranges from 8.8% in the Greater Accra Region to 53.0% in the Savannah Region. A little over a third (37.5%) of the elderly population is employed – five in every 10 (50.0%) for the age group 60 to 69 years, about three in every 10 (28.6%) for the age group 70 to 79 years, and one in every 10 (10.7%) for the age group 80 years and older.”

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“Nine out of every 10 (90.1%) employed elderly persons are working in the private informal sector with eight out of every ten (80.0%) being self-employed without employees. Nationally, 395,693 older persons representing over half (53.2%) of the employed elderly population are in vulnerable employment.”

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GSS called for an assessment of Ghana’s preparedness to safeguard the well-being of the growing numbers of older persons in the country.

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Source: Citinews

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