In this Inbound Insight series article, we look at the mobility of students from Ghana and explore the priorities of this student cohort when searching for student accommodation based on data gathered through the Global Student Living Index.
Outbound destinations
UNESCO figures show that Ghana’s outbound student population has grown steadily over the past decade, from 12,099 students in 2014 to 23,842 in 2023 – an increase of 97%. The United Kingdom and the United States have historically been the most popular study destinations, reflecting Ghana’s colonial and linguistic ties to English-speaking higher education systems, with Canada and Germany also featuring prominently.
The United States has seen particularly striking growth in recent years. Open Doors data from the Institute of International Education shows that 12,825 Ghanaians studied in the United States in 2024/25 – a record high and an increase of 36.5% on the previous year. Ghana now ranks 14th globally as a source country for US institutions. The growth has been especially pronounced at the postgraduate level, with 8,514 Ghanaians enrolled in graduate programmes in 2024/25, a 33.5% increase on the prior year. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the total number of Ghanaian students in the US grew by 203%, from 4,229 to 12,825.
The most recent data from HESA confirms the UK as one of the primary destinations for Ghanaian students, with numbers growing from 2,630 in 2020/21 to 5,115 in 2024/25. However, analysis by ICEF Monitor notes that in the six month period between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, refusals for Ghanaian visas increased from 15% to 26.5%.
What’s contributing to this growth?
Ghana is the second-most active sending market in West Africa after Nigeria, and its outbound student growth is driven by a convergence of structural factors: a rapidly growing and youthful population, constrained domestic higher-education capacity, widespread graduate underemployment, and a long-established culture of outmigration.
Ghana’s population of approximately 34 million grows by around 2% – roughly 700,000 people – each year. More than half the population is under 19, and the country is projected to double in size within 36 years. This demographic momentum is creating demand for higher education that the domestic system is struggling to absorb. Despite a fivefold increase in Ghana’s tertiary student population between 2005 and 2022, only around 20% of 18-to-23-year-olds were enrolled in higher education in 2022. Admissions are highly competitive: analysis by WES indicates that fewer than one in five applicants to the University of Ghana, the country’s largest university, are currently admitted.
Ghana’s labour market context reinforces the motivation to seek overseas qualifications. Ghana’s Statistical Service data shows that 36% of people aged 20 to 24 were unemployed in 2023. Even a university education offers no guarantee: one in five Ghanaian university graduates was also out of work in that year. For many students and families, an internationally recognised degree represents the most reliable route to meaningful employment and economic mobility – in Ghana and beyond.
Outmigration is also a deeply embedded feature of Ghanaian society. Ghana has the second-largest number of emigrants in West Africa after Nigeria, and study abroad is closely intertwined with broader migration aspirations. A 2021 Gallup poll found that Ghana was among only six countries globally where more people wished to relocate abroad than wished to stay, with better employment prospects and escaping economic hardship cited as the primary drivers.
Analysis commissioned by the British Council and conducted by Oxford Economics notes that Ghana faces macroeconomic headwinds, including currency depreciation, which may create volatility in near-term outbound flows. However, the analysis nonetheless identifies Ghana as an important ongoing recruitment market for the UK, with the opportunity to grow through winning market share from alternative destinations. Government scholarships also play a meaningful role in sustaining outbound flows, with a proportion of Ghanaian students in the UK supported through government funding programmes.
Search priorities
Global Student Living Index data shows that Students from Ghana appear to place greater emphasis on several practical accommodation features than international students overall. They are notably more likely to be influenced by travel time to their place of study (83% versus 70%), the availability of a flexible contract (48% versus 35%), and having an ensuite bathroom (55% versus 45%). They are also somewhat more likely to consider the condition and quality of the accommodation (58% versus 52%) and the size and facilities of the kitchen (46% versus 41%). Conversely, Ghanaian students are less likely to say that a property simply “feels right” (11% versus 19%) or that being able to choose where they live influences their search (19% versus 24%).
Accommodation type
Students from Ghana are just slightly more likely to be in private halls than other international students (89% vs 88%) and slightly less likely to be in university halls (11% vs 12%).
Search resources
Students from Ghana rely on university websites to the same extent as international students overall (63%) but show a somewhat different mix of other search resources. They are more likely to use social media (29% versus 24%) and accommodation fairs (12% versus 6%). Conversely, they are less likely to use general web searches (20% versus 30%), university brochures or prospectuses (8% versus 15%), educational consultants or agents (5% versus 10%), and online student reviews (11% versus 15%). These findings suggest that Ghanaian students may place relatively greater emphasis on social and event-based channels.
Booking
Students from Ghana are more likely than international students overall to book accommodation through the university housing or accommodation office (51% versus 41%) and are also somewhat more likely to use an online student accommodation listings site (14% versus 10%). By contrast, they are less likely to book directly with a private halls provider (17% versus 24%) or through an educational consultant or agent (4% versus 8%).
Struggles
Students from Ghana report several struggles at notably higher rates than international students overall. The largest difference relates to finding part-time work (59% versus 34%). They are also more likely to struggle with making the most of their time at university (43% versus 30%), meeting new people (46% versus 34%), having enough money to get by (34% versus 23%), commuting (27% versus 16%), budgeting effectively (36% versus 28%), and keeping up with the workload (38% versus 31%). Smaller but still meaningful differences are apparent in confidence, work–life balance, relationships and understanding course content.
Overall, the results suggest that Ghanaian students face greater pressures around employment, finances, adjustment to university life and academic demands than the international student population generally.
