The Nabdam District in the Upper East Region has the highest rate of multidimensional poverty among all 261 districts in Ghana, with a staggering 68.6%.
This rate is approximately 11 times higher than that of the Asokwa Municipality in the Ashanti Region, which has the lowest rate at 6.3%.
This information was disclosed by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in its Multidimensional Poverty Index Scorecard.
The scorecard, which covers all 261 Administrative Districts, was released as part of the commemorative activities for the 2023 African Statistics Day on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
The GSS further revealed that in 55 districts, encompassing both rural and urban residential settlements, there is a minimum difference of 20.0 percentage points in the incidence of multidimensional poverty.
The highest disparity was observed in Kwahu Afram Plains North, with a difference of 38 percentage points.
The report also highlighted a significant gender disparity. It stated, “In nine out of every ten districts, multidimensional poverty is more prevalent in female-headed households compared to those headed by males.”
This underscores the need for targeted interventions to address this issue.
About the multidimensional poverty indicator
This multidimensional poverty indicator is a non-monetary deprivation measure that comprises 13 indicators in four dimensions i.e., living conditions (electricity, housing, assets, overcrowding, cooking fuel, water, and toilet facility); education (attendance, attainment, and school lag), health (insurance coverage and mortality), and employment (work for wage or profit).
The district scorecards provide statistics on the proportion of the population within the district that lives in multidimensionally poor households, experiencing multidimensional poverty), and the ranking of the district relative to other districts in the region and to all districts in the country. The scorecard also presents information on the areas in which poor persons in the district are most deprived.
