Ghana - Ghana Living Standards Survey 3 -1991, Third round

Version 2.0 Edited, anornymous dataset for public distribution.

1995-03

The Ghana Living Standards Survey (with an Income, Consumption and Expenditure Module) places emphasis on household income, consumption and expenditure and it is specifically concerned with; Understanding the effect of adjustment programmes on different groups of the population and Introducing the concept of social problems and policies targeted towards the least favoured groups.

The survey had the following objectives:

1. To provide information on patterns of households consumption and expenditure at a greater level of disaggregation.

2.To serv e as the basis for the construction of the Consumer Price Index.

3. For up-dating National Accounts.

4. In combination with earlier data from the GLSS to give a database for national and regional planning and for the estimation of consumption as a proportion of

household production.

The key findings of the survey are as follows:

Total expenditure

At March 1992 prices, average annual household expenditure (both cash and imputed) was about 748,000 cedis. Given an average household size of 4.5, this implies annual per capita expenditure of about 167,000 cedis; with the exchange rate of about 400 cedis to the US dollar prevailing at that time, this is equivalent to about 420 US dollars (but more than 800 US dollars if we take purchasing power parities into account). Estimates are given of the level of total expenditure, and of its components, in different localities, ecological zones and regions. Overall, cash expenditure on food represents 40 percent of total household expenditure, while the imputed value of home-produced food consumed by households represents a further 18 percent.

Cash expenditure

Average annual household cash expenditure was 547,000 cedis, giving annual per capita cash expenditure of 122,000 cedis Food (including also alcohol and tobacco) accounted for 54 percent of total cash expenditure; the next most important expenditure groups were clothing and footwear (9%), and housing and utilities (9%). The report provides details of average household and per capita expenditures in urban and rural areas, right down to the item level, as well as showing the proportion of households which report expenditures on each item.

Food consumption

Detailed estimates are given on food consumption. At the time of the survey Ghanaian households (which number about 3.3 million) were spending an annual amount of almost 1,000 billion cedis (at March 1992 prices) on purchases of food; in addition, home-grown food to the value of almost 500 billion cedis was also consumed. The major components of food consumption, in terms of cash value, are: roots and tubers (28%), cereals and cereal products (16%), and fish (14%). In the rural savannah, cereals and cereal products, and pulses and nuts, are a major input to the household diet, while fish is much less important than in other parts of the country.

Employment

Detailed estimates are given of economic activity, employment, unemployment and underemployment. About 76 percent of the adult population (aged 15+) are usually economically active; female activity rates are comparable to those of males. In the rural savannah, almost a fifth of children aged 7-14 are economically active. Basic hourly wage rates and hours of work are shown for different industries. Only 5 percent of the usually active population can be classified as usually unemployed, but there is also a degree of underemployment, with some people having a job but wanting to do more work. In many households, particularly in rural areas, family members spend a great deal of their time fetching water and firewood, in addition to the time spent on other household activities such as cooking and cleaning; a total of about 3 million hours a day are spent on fetching wood, and 6 million hours fetching water, with at least a third of this work being done by children aged 7-14.

Education

Information is given on levels of educational attainment of the adult population, current school enrolment, and educational expenditure by households, and adult literacy rates. Amongst the population of 8 million people aged 15 and over, 3 million have never been to school; in contrast, ½ million have obtained qualifications at the secondary or higher level . About three-quarters of those aged 6-15, and half of those aged 16-18, are currently attending school or college. Attendance rates for females are lower than those for males, especially in the north of the country. The average annual cost to a household of maintaining a person at school or college was 16,000 cedis per year. The overall adult literacy rate (measured by a person's reported ability to write a letter in English or in a Ghanaian language) was 49 percent, with the literacy rate much higher for males (61%) than for females (39%).

Health

The survey collected data on each person's health condition over the previous two weeks, on the fertility, pre-natal care and contraceptive use of women aged 15-49, on the post-natal care of children aged 5 years and under, and on the preventive health care and vaccination of children aged 7 years and under. About 22 percent of the sample reported having suffered from an illness or injury in the previous two weeks, of whom a half had consulted a medical practitioner. The survey found that 8 percent of women were currently pregnant, and a further 14 percent had been pregnant in the last 12 months. Seventeen percent of all women aged 15-49 reported using contraceptives, but the majority of them used traditional methods; only 7 percent used modern methods.

Migration

Some 40 percent of all Ghanaians are migrants, having previously lived in a different locality to where they are living at present; a further 16 percent have moved away from their birthplace, but subsequently returned.

Housing

Detailed information is presented on a variety of housing characteristics: the occupancy status of the household; household size and room density; access to drinking water, toilet facilities, source of lighting and fuel, rubbish disposal, and materials used in house construction. Three-quarters of the households in urban areas have access to pipe-borne water, compared with only 14 percent in rural areas. Two-thirds of urban households have electric lighting, compared with only 8 percent of rural households. Most urban households use charcoal for cooking, whereas most households in rural areas use firewood. Only 18 percent of urban households, and 1 percent of rural households, have access to a flush toilet.

Household agriculture

About 2¼ million households in Ghana own or operate a farm or keep livestock. Detailed estimates are given of the number of households growing different crops and the estimated annual value of their harvest and sales. The major household crops, in terms of sales, are cocoa, maize, tomatoes, cassava, plantain, yam and onions. About a million households process crops or fish for sale, with the major responsibility for this processing falling on women. The main sources of income are gari and processed fish.

Non-farm enterprises

More than 1½ million households in Ghana operate a non-farm business; three-quarters of these businesses are operated by women. Two-thirds of all businesses are engaged in retail trade, and most of the remainder are engaged in some kind of manufacturing (for instance food, beverages, textiles or clothing) . Details are given of the average cost of inputs, assets, revenues and net income, separately for manufacturing and trading enterprises.

Remittances

Remittances to households in Ghana total about 60 billion cedis per year; two-thirds of this amount comes from other households in Ghana, and one-third comes from overseas.

Assets

Detailed information is given on the ownership of various assets. About 40 percent of households own a radio, and 11 percent a television; 15 percent own a bicycle, and 2 percent a car; 27 percent own a sewing machine, and 8 percent a refrigerator.

Sample survey data [ssd]

Household