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Ghana in NumbersGhana Statistical Service

Chapter 7

Environment and Climate Change

Where Ghana’s forest reserves are, how much carbon its land stores and how that stock changed, and the 2025 pattern of rainfall and temperature.

Sources
Forestry Commission, EPA–GSS–FC ecosystem accounts, GMet
Latest
December 2025 (forests); 2021 (carbon)

Forest reserve area

24,133.53km²

Dec 2025, 12 regions

Western holds 29.5%

Grassland carbon

344.0Mt C

2021

Largest store of any land cover

Peak rainfall

216.7mm

June 2025

Monthly average 99.3 mm

Peak temperature

30.4°C

March 2025

Monthly average 28.2°C

Lowest rainfall

11.1mm

January 2025

The driest month

Forest reserves and carbon retention

Three regions hold about 60% of the reported reserve area; vegetation and soils hold carbon that would otherwise reach the atmosphere, and the stock fell between 2015 and 2021.

§7.1–7.2 · pp. 92–93

Forest reserve area by region

Designated forest reserve, km²

December 2025

Hover or focus on a region to read its value.

Forest reserve area (km²)

  • 37.38–761
  • 761–1,118
  • 1,118–1,558
  • 1,558–3,650
  • 3,650–7,131
  • Not reported

Regions ranked, highest first

  1. 1Western7,131
  2. 2Ashanti3,880
  3. 3Northern3,650
  4. 4Eastern1,788
  5. 5Upper East1,558
  6. 6Bono1,493
  7. 7Central1,247
  8. 8Upper West1,118
  9. 9Ahafo997
  10. 10Volta761
  11. 11Bono East473
  12. 12Greater Accra37.38
  13. –Western NorthNot reported
  14. –OtiNot reported
  15. –SavannahNot reported
  16. –North EastNot reported

n/r: not reported separately in the source.

Reported total: 24,133.53 km²

Reported total 24,133.53 km² across 12 regions. Western North, Oti, Savannah and North East are not reported separately (hatched): a missing value is not zero. Reserve area is designated land, not current tree cover. Western, Ashanti and Northern hold about 60.8% of the reported area.

Source: Forestry Commission (2025) · Figure 7.1, p. 92

View data
Forest reserve area by region, December 2025
RegionArea (km²)
Western7,131.36
Ashanti3,880.29
Northern3,649.85
Eastern1,787.55
Upper East1,558.07
Bono1,492.77
Central1,247.34
Upper West1,117.57
Ahafo997.00
Volta761.00
Bono East473.00
Greater Accra37.38
Western Northn/a
Otin/a
Savannahn/a
North Eastn/a

n/a: not reported separately in the source. Some smaller regional areas are printed rounded to whole km².

Forest reserves at a glance

Designated forest reserve area, km²

December 2025

24,133.53km², 12 reporting regions

Three largest regions, 60.8% of the total

  • Western

    7,131.36km²

    29.5% of the total

  • Ashanti

    3,880.29km²

    16.1% of the total

  • Northern

    3,649.85km²

    15.1% of the total

Shares are of the reported total. The 12 regional areas sum to 24,133.18 km², 0.35 km² below the published total because smaller regions are printed rounded.

Source: Forestry Commission (2025) · Figure 7.1, p. 92

View data
Largest forest reserve areas, December 2025
RegionArea (km²)Share of total (%)
Western7,131.3629.5
Ashanti3,880.2916.1
Northern3,649.8515.1

An earlier measure: regional share of forest reserves

% share, 1990 and 2021, regions cited in the text

1990 and 2021

  • 1990
  • 2021
  • Western North19.6% → 6.5%
  • Western17% → 8.4%
  • Savannah6.5% → 14.9%
  • Northern1.1% → 6.9%
0%10%20%
Cited in Table 2.1 and Chapter 11 but replaced in Chapter 7 by the December 2025 area figures above. The definition of the share is not stated and only four regions are printed, so the two measures should not be combined.

Source: Table 2.1, p. 8; Chapter 11, p. 128

View data
Forest reserve share, 1990 and 2021
Region1990 (%)2021 (%)
Western North19.66.5
Western17.08.4
Savannah6.514.9
Northern1.16.9

The three largest carbon stores

Carbon stock, Mt C: total, soil and non-soil (vegetation)

2021

  • Grassland

    344.0 Mt C

    Non-soil 141.2 · Soil 202.8

  • Open Forest

    236.8 Mt C

    Non-soil 113.2 · Soil 123.6

  • Cropland

    214.3 Mt C

    Non-soil 83.8 · Soil 130.5

  • Non-soil (vegetation)
  • Soil
Grassland’s total (344.0 Mt C) is the figure used in the KPI.

Source: EPA, GSS and FC (2025) · Figure 7.2, p. 93

View data
Largest carbon stores, 2021
Land coverTotal (Mt C)Soil (Mt C)Non-soil (Mt C)
Grassland344.0202.8141.2
Open Forest236.8123.6113.2
Cropland214.3130.583.8

Carbon stored by land cover

Carbon stock, million tonnes of carbon (Mt C)

2021

  • Non-soil (vegetation)
  • Soil
A stock, not an annual removal rate. Grassland stores 344.0 Mt C (141.2 non-soil + 202.8 soil). Grassland, open forest, cropland and closed forest hold about 84% of the total. Water and bare land store none.

Source: EPA, GSS and FC (2025), Ghana Ecosystem Services Account 2015–2021 · Figure 7.2, p. 93

View data
Carbon retention by land cover, 2021
Land coverNon-soil (Mt C)Soil (Mt C)Total (Mt C)
Mangrove0.90.21.1
Settlement0.53.54.0
Mono Cocoa14.434.248.6
Shaded Cocoa33.515.348.8
Other Tree Crops77.90.077.9
Closed Forest141.131.2172.3
Cropland83.8130.5214.3
Open Forest113.2123.6236.8
Grassland141.2202.8344.0
Water0.00.00.0
Bare0.00.00.0

How the carbon stock changed, 2015 to 2021

Change by land-cover class, Mt C (waterfall)

2015–2021

  • Total 20151,367.5
  • Settlement−187.6
  • Closed forest−41.7
  • Grassland−18.3
  • Other tree crops−2.9
  • Mangrove−0.3
  • Open forest+0.6
  • Mono cocoa+1.3
  • Shaded cocoa+6.2
  • Cropland+22.8
  • Total 20211,147.6
1,0401,2201,400
  • Decrease
  • Increase
  • Total
Total stock fell from 1,367.5 to 1,147.6 Mt C. The scale starts at 1,040 Mt C so that the smaller changes are visible; bar lengths show changes, not totals.

Source: EPA, GSS and FC (2025) · Figure 7.3, p. 93

View data
Carbon stock change by land cover, 2015 to 2021
ItemChange (Mt C)Running total (Mt C)
Total stock, 2015n/a1,367.5
Settlement-187.61,179.9
Closed forest-41.71,138.2
Grassland-18.31,119.9
Other tree crops-2.91,117.0
Mangrove-0.31,116.7
Open forest0.61,117.3
Mono cocoa1.31,118.6
Shaded cocoa6.21,124.8
Cropland22.81,147.6
Total stock, 2021n/a1,147.6

Rainfall and temperature

Two rainfall peaks and a narrow temperature range shape the farming calendar.

§7.3–7.4 · pp. 94–95

Monthly rainfall

Average rainfall, millimetres

2025

  1. Jan11
  2. Feb38
  3. Mar70
  4. Apr96
  5. May164
  6. Jun217
  7. Jul67
  8. Aug72
  9. Sep149
  10. Oct185
  11. Nov67
  12. Dec57

Darker = wetter (mm): under 40, 40–80, 80–130, 130–180, 180 and over. Wettest: Jun, 216.7 mm. Driest: Jan, 11.1 mm.

Two peaks: 216.7 mm in June and 185.1 mm in October, typical of the two rainy seasons in much of southern Ghana. Monthly average 99.3 mm (dashed). The 2000–2010 and 2011–2024 reference curves in Figure 7.4 are unlabelled and not reproduced.

Source: Ghana Meteorological Agency · Figure 7.4, p. 94; Table 2.1

View data
Monthly rainfall, 2025
MonthRainfall (mm)
Jan11.1
Feb37.9
Mar69.9
Apr95.9
May163.5
Jun216.7
Jul67.2
Aug71.9
Sep148.9
Oct185.1
Nov66.6
Dec57.3

Monthly temperature

Average temperature, °C

2025

  • Hottest month

    30.4°C

    March 2025

  • Coolest month

    25.4°C

    August 2025

Warmest in March (30.4°C), coolest in August (25.4°C); the range across the year is under 5°C. Monthly average 28.2°C (dashed). The axis starts at 20°C to show the seasonal cycle; one year cannot show a long-term trend.

Source: Ghana Meteorological Agency · Figure 7.5, p. 95; Table 2.1

View data
Monthly temperature, 2025
MonthTemperature (°C)
Jan29.3
Feb30.0
Mar30.4
Apr29.8
May28.8
Jun27.6
Jul26.0
Aug25.4
Sep26.6
Oct27.5
Nov28.4
Dec28.5