Nearly one in five Ghanaians paid bribes to public officials in 2024 – GSS Report
A report by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed that 18.4 percent of Ghanaians who interacted with public officials in 2024 paid bribes, mostly in cash, to access essential services.
The findings, from the GSS’s Governance Series Wave 1 report, highlight the ongoing challenge of corruption in public institutions.
The report also found that 70 percent of respondents believe the current system offers little or no opportunity for citizens to influence decision-making.
Bribery was more common among men, who made up 68.3 percent of those admitting to paying bribes, compared to 31.7 percent of women. Urban residents accounted for 64.3 percent of reported bribery cases, while rural residents made up 35.7 percent.
People with disabilities were also affected, with 21.1 percent reporting paying bribes. Those with physical impairments had the highest rate at 40.1 percent, followed by individuals with visual impairments at 32.5 percent.
By region, Greater Accra recorded the highest incidence of bribery at 22 percent, followed by the Ashanti Region at 18.1 percent. The Savannah and North East regions reported the lowest rates, at 1.0 percent and 1.1 percent respectively.
Omar Seidu, Head of Social Statistics at GSS, called for urgent reforms and stronger anti-corruption efforts to restore public confidence. “Reducing corruption is not just a legal obligation, it is a social imperative,” he said.
