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Disclaimer / Limitations
This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Vital Statistics
Ghana
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Ghana
Vital Statistics
Compilation and Publication
Compilation and Publication
Geographical Coverage
Are vital statistics produced for the entire country?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Vital statistics should be compiled for the total geographical area of the country, for each major and minor civil division, and each principal town and city. Vital statistics should distinguish between urban and rural settings
at least for the country as a whole and for each major or other civil division.
The Statistical Service is charged with the direction of a National Statistical System, but the Statistical Service Act does not mandate how vital statistics will be compiled and published.
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act requires that registers of birth, fetal death and death be compiled at district and national levels. Information from the districts is collected and compiled by a Regional Registrar for onward transmission to the National Registry.
The inaugural statistical report published by the Births and Deaths Registry in 2024 provides both regional and national statistics on births and birth registration.
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
National vital statistics should be compiled uniformly for the country, using common definitions, classifications, coding, querying, data entry and editing procedures. Where they are compiled subnationally there should be uniform standards set.
The Statistical Service is charged with providing direction for a National Statistical System, but the Statistical Service Act does not mandate how vital statistics will be compiled and published.
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act requires that registers of birth, fetal death and death be compiled at district and national levels. Information from the districts is collected and compiled by a Regional Registrar for onward transmission to the National Registry.
In practice, the Births and Deaths Registry reported in 2024 that a statistical summary of birth registration is submitted monthly to the “National Statistics Unit” and is used to validate data from the Registry’s electronic database. The inaugural statistical report published by the Births and Deaths Registry in 2024 provides both regional and national statistics on births and birth registration.
Does the law require publication of vital statistics on a regular and timely basis?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Annual publication of vital statistics reports offer government agencies and other users a dependable source of vital statistics data. The law should therefore mandate that the statistics agency prepare and disseminate vital statistics reports and data at least annually.
The Statistical Service Act and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act are both silent on requirements and timeframes for the publication of vital statistics data.
