Crime Statistics in Ghana: An Overview

Nov 07, 2025 0

Crime in Ghana is at a moderate level, and it is reported that guns are most often used to engage in criminal activities within the country. Crime rates vary greatly from country to country and are influenced by many factors.

Map of the regions of Ghana.

For example, high poverty levels and unemployment tend to inflate a country’s crime rate. Conversely, strict police enforcement and severe sentences tend to reduce crime rates.

Crime Rates and Trends

Between January and June 2022, 180 crime cases were reported, peaking in the month of January. In the first half of 2022, 249 police arrests were registered. Following arrests and judicial prosecutions, individuals found guilty of criminal acts are kept in prisons across the country.

The study utilized the official police data that included the robbery incident addresses/spots to explore the incidence, volume, trends, and patterns of robbery in Ghana from 2014 to 2017. There were 5696 robbery cases of which the highest, 1772 cases, were recorded in 2017, and the lowest cases, 1116 recorded in 2014 reported to the police during this period. The daily average robberies were 3 cases in 2014, 4 cases each in 2015 and 2016, and 5 cases in 2017. The robbery per 100,000 of population in 2014 was 4.1 persons. In 2015, the rate was 5 persons, in 2016 the rate was 4.9 persons and in 2017 it was 6 persons per 100,000 of population. The highest robbery cases were recorded in December, followed by November, September, and May. The Greater Accra region recorded the highest robberies, followed by the Ashanti region, which had the most robbery flashpoints/spots. The Accra-Tema metroplex in the Greater Accra region recorded the highest robbery cases, followed by the city of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

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As of 2020, Ghana had a prison population of nearly 13.3 thousand. This slightly decreased the prison population rate to 46 per 100,000 inhabitants that year. Overall crime rate is calculated by dividing the total number of reported crimes of any kind by the total population, then multiplying the result by 100,000 (because crime rate is typically reported as X number of crimes per 100,000 people).

Robbery, an expropriative and serious acquisitive crime whose primary motif is financial gain appears to feed on lifestyles, opportunities, routines, and activities of people. While the arrest rate was small, the robbery related crimes, including robbery deaths, rapes, and other injuries brought fear and panic among the citizenry. Ghana’s robbery statutes, and law enforcement responses, including shooting death of suspects, and public lynching of some suspects do not appear to deter the robbery menace.

Ghana has long been recognized as one of West Africa’s most stable and peaceful countries.Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.

Internet Scamming in Ghana

Other Forms of Crime

Another area of crime identified in the country is human trafficking. In 2018, there were 331 victims of trafficking. Child marriage is abolished by Ghanaian laws, which set the minimum age of marriage at 18 years. In spite of this, as of 2018, 1.6 percent of men and 6.2 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 years had been given into marriage before they reached their 15th birthday.

In the same way, child labor is legally unacceptable in Ghana. However, 29 percent of children aged 15 to 17 years were exposed to hazardous working conditions in 2018, while nine percent were given household chores for 28 hours or more. In order to protect women's rights in the country, the 1992 Constitution of Ghana frowns upon female genital mutilation (FGM). However, in a survey report, more than 60 percent of the population aged between 15 and 49 years stated that they had had their flesh removed as they underwent FGM.

Corruption in Ghana

Also, corruption is one of the major issues facing the nation, with some Ghanaians paying bribes to receive public services. Generally, many Ghanaians think that the police, mandated to enforce national laws, is the most corrupt.

Corruption is a major issue facing Ghana.

Criminal Justice System

The Ghana Prisons Service is responsible for keeping prisoners in safe custody as they serve their time in jail. Ghana has a multi-party parliamentary government with an elected President who is both chief of the executive branch and the head of state. It has a centralized government with local divisions in 11 regions. There is a single legislature that consists of the President and the National Assembly. Regional leaders report to the central government.

The criminal justice system is centralized; the government has control over the courts, prisons, judges, and police. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Courts, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director of Prisons are all appointed by the government and serve the entire country. Ghana inherited the English common law tradition, and the court structure and general legal procedures reflect the English method of law. The Independence Constitution provides for writs of habeas corpus and the independence of the judiciary. Ghana has an adversarial system of criminal justice in which the offender is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The informal criminal justice system in rural towns and villages has survived both the colonial administration and post-independence administration. Currently, traditional chiefs and elders are allowed to try criminal matters in the rural villages.

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Global Crime Rates Comparison

Crime rates are influenced by several factors, such as poverty, unemployment, and law enforcement strictness. Countries like Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa have high crime rates due to issues like corruption, economic changes, and social challenges. Low crime rates in countries like Switzerland and Japan are attributed to effective law enforcement and in some cases, restrictive gun laws.

The overall crime rate in the United States is 49.2. The violent crime rate in the United States has decreased sharply over the past 25 years. Crime rates vary significantly among the states, with such states as Alaska, New Mexico, and Tennessee experiencing much higher crime rates than states such as Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Some of the world’s lowest crime rates are seen in Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Japan, and New Zealand.

Here are some countries with high crime rates:

Venezuela: Has a crime index of 82.1, the highest of any country in the world.
Papua New Guinea: Has a crime index of 80.4, with violent crime fueled by rapid social, economic, and political changes.
Afghanistan: Crime includes corruption, assassinations, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and money laundering.
Haiti: Ongoing political instability has allowed gang violence to flourish.
South Africa: Has a notably high rate of assaults, rape, homicides, and other violent crimes.
Honduras: Ranks sixth in the world in terms of crime rate, with a crime index of 74.3.
Trinidad and Tobago: Has the seventh-highest crime rate in the world at 70.8.
Syria: Organized crime is made worse by an ongoing civil war.
Guyana: Has the ninth-highest crime rate worldwide of 68.8, and a murder rate of about four times higher than that of the United States.
Peru: One of the largest cocaine producers globally.

Here are some of the safest countries in Africa:

Rwanda
Tunisia
Ghana
Sudan
Zambia
Egypt
Morocco
Mauritius
Ethiopia
Algeria