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Budgets
Ghana · National budget

Ghana national budget, 2023 to 2026

What was approved, what was actually spent, and how much went to education and health, set against the targets Ghana signed up to.

Approved budget, 2026
GH₵357.1bn
Calendar year, as appropriated
Health share, 2026
9.6%
Abuja target is 15%
Education share, 2026
13.8%
Benchmark is 15 to 20%
Debt service to revenue, 2026
31%
Of approved revenue

Central government.

Ghana: GDP, trade, investment, remittances and debt

Four-year comparison, 2023 to 2026

Is the budget growing, and is education and health spending keeping up?

EducationHealthDefence and securityInfrastructureAgricultureSocial protection
0%5%10%15%2023202420252026Education 2023: 10.9%Education 2024: 12.7%Education 2025: 13.8%Education 2026: 13.8%Health 2023: 7.9%Health 2024: 8.7%Health 2025: 9.5%Health 2026: 9.6%Defence and security 2023: 4.1%Defence and security 2024: 4.7%Defence and security 2025: 6.9%Defence and security 2026: 6.5%Infrastructure 2023: 5.7%Infrastructure 2024: 4.3%Infrastructure 2025: 7.7%Infrastructure 2026: 11.9%Agriculture 2023: 0.9%Agriculture 2024: 1.3%Agriculture 2025: 1.0%Agriculture 2026: 0.9%Social protection 2023: 0.9%Social protection 2024: 1.3%Social protection 2025: 2.1%Social protection 2026: 1.9%

Each line as a share of the total approved national budget.

Line2023202420252026Change
Total budget100%100%100%100%n/a
Education10.9%12.7%13.8%13.8%▲ 2.9 pts2023 to 2026
Health7.9%8.7%9.5%9.6%▲ 1.7 pts2023 to 2026
Defence and security4.1%4.7%6.9%6.5%▲ 2.4 pts2023 to 2026
Infrastructure5.7%4.3%7.7%11.9%▲ 6.2 pts2023 to 2026
Agriculture0.9%1.3%1.0%0.9%▼ 0.1 pts2023 to 2026
Social protection0.9%1.3%2.1%1.9%▲ 1.0 pts2023 to 2026

Central government.

Source: Ministry of Finance, Ghana; World Bank, 2023 to 2026. Method

Approved against actual spending

Billions of cedis. The figure above each pair is the share of the approved budget actually spent.

ApprovedActual
01002003004002023 approved: GH₵190.9bn2023 actual: GH₵167.5bn88%20232024 approved: GH₵226.7bn2024 actual: GH₵279.2bn123%20242025 approved: GH₵270.9bn2025 actual: GH₵238.7bn88%20252026 approved: GH₵302.5bn2026 actual, six months to June: GH₵127.2bnsix monthsto June2026
Show the figures
YearApprovedActualSpent
2023GH₵190.9bnGH₵167.5bn88%
2024GH₵226.7bnGH₵279.2bn123%
2025GH₵270.9bnGH₵238.7bn88%
2026GH₵302.5bnGH₵127.2bnsix months to June

Approved here is the Ministry of Finance's own expenditure total before debt amortisation and arrears clearance, the basis on which it reports actual spending. Shares of the budget use the larger total in the Appropriation Act.

2024: actual spending includes expenditure claims committed but not released in cash that year, which is why it is above the approved figure.

2025: actual spending is the provisional outturn, which the Ministry prints as a chart label rounded to one decimal place in billions of cedis.

2026: actual spending covers January to June only.

Central government.

Source: Ministry of Finance, Ghana, 2023 to 2026. Method

Education and health against the pledges

Share of the approved national budget. Hollow points are partial years.

EducationHealth
Education 2030 benchmark, 15 to 20%0%5%10%15%20%2023202420252026Abuja Declaration health target, 15%Education 2023: 10.9% of the approved budgetEducation 2024: 12.7% of the approved budgetEducation 2025: 13.8% of the approved budgetEducation 2026: 13.8% of the approved budgetHealth 2023: 7.9% of the approved budgetHealth 2024: 8.7% of the approved budgetHealth 2025: 9.5% of the approved budgetHealth 2026: 9.6% of the approved budget

The targets are set for total public spending, not for a single budget.

Central government.

Source: Ministry of Finance, Ghana, 2023 to 2026. Targets: WHO, UNESCO. Method

Where the 2026 budget went

Share of the GH₵357.1bn approved budget, by sector.

Debt service23.1%GH₵82.5bn
Education13.8%GH₵49.1bn
Infrastructure11.9%GH₵42.6bn
Health9.6%GH₵34.2bn
Defence and security6.5%GH₵23.3bn
Social protection1.9%GH₵6.8bn
Agriculture0.9%GH₵3.0bn
All other lines32.3%GH₵115.5bn

Central government.

Source: Ministry of Finance, Ghana, 2026. Method

Budget documents

YearDocumentPublisherType
20262026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy (presented November 2025)Ministry of Finance, GhanaBudget statement
20262026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review (also reports the 2025 fiscal outturn)Ministry of Finance, GhanaMid-year review
20262026 Q1 Fiscal NewsletterMinistry of Finance, GhanaFiscal newsletter
20262026 Q2 Fiscal Newsletter (H1 2026)Ministry of Finance, GhanaFiscal newsletter
20262027 Fiscal Strategy DocumentMinistry of Finance, GhanaFiscal strategy
2026Appropriation (No. 2) Act, 2025 (Act 1163), appropriating the 2026 financial yearMinistry of Finance, GhanaApproved
20252025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy as presented to Parliament (file dated 13 March 2025)Ministry of Finance, GhanaBudget statement
20252025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, version 5 (post-approval, file dated 10 April 2025; also reports the 2024 fiscal outturn)Ministry of Finance, GhanaBudget statement
20252025 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy ReviewMinistry of Finance, GhanaMid-year review
2025Appropriation Act, 2025 (Act 1126)Ministry of Finance, GhanaApproved
20242024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy (presented November 2023)Ministry of Finance, GhanaBudget statement
20242024 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review (full review, also reports the 2023 fiscal outturn)Ministry of Finance, GhanaMid-year review
20242024 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, Minister speech (abridged)Ministry of Finance, GhanaMid-year speech
2024Appropriation Act, 2023 (Act 1113), appropriating the 2024 financial yearMinistry of Finance, GhanaApproved
2024Consolidated MDAs Annual Budget Performance Report, 2024 fiscal yearMinistry of Finance, GhanaSpending report
20232023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy (presented November 2022)Ministry of Finance, GhanaBudget statement
20232023 Mid-Year Budget ReviewMinistry of Finance, GhanaMid-year review
2023Appropriation Act, 2022 (Act 1090), appropriating the 2023 financial yearMinistry of Finance, GhanaApproved
2023Consolidated End-Year Report on Budget Performance, 2023 fiscal year (covered entities)Ministry of Finance, GhanaSpending report

Each link goes to the official publisher. Figures on this page come from these documents. Method