Ghana’s economy expanded by 5.5 percent in the third quarter of 2025, according to provisional figures released by the Ghana Statistical Service on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 with the agriculture sector posting the strongest growth.
Although the growth rate is lower than the 7.0 percent recorded during the same period in 2024, the latest data point to broad improvements across agriculture, services and non-oil sectors of the economy.
Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu (PhD) reported that nominal GDP for the period rose to GH¢339.4 billion from GH¢293.1 billion a year earlier. Non-oil nominal GDP also increased significantly to GH¢331.5 billion, confirming the growing importance of non-oil activities in driving economic expansion. Real GDP for the quarter reached GH¢50.8 billion, up from GH¢48.2 billion in 2024, while non-oil real GDP grew to GH¢48.7 billion compared to GH¢45.6 billion last year.
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Agriculture
The agriculture sector expanded by 8.6 percent following a sharp rebound from 2.5 percent in the previous year. The fishing sub-sector contributed significantly to this performance with a 23.1 percent rise, reversing last year’s contraction and helping stabilise food supplies and prices.
Industry, however, recorded a sharp slowdown, growing by just 0.8 percent compared to 11.4 percent in 2024. The decline was driven largely by a steep 18.2 percent contraction in the oil and gas sector. Manufacturing remained relatively stable, recording 3.9 percent growth, while mining and quarrying fell by 2.8 percent, further weighing down the sector’s overall output.
The services sector maintained its position as the backbone of the economy, accounting for about 40 percent of national output. It expanded by 7.6 percent and contributed more than half of the total growth recorded in the quarter. ICT led the service sector once again with a robust 17.0 percent growth rate, reflecting continued digital expansion and rising demand for technology-related services.
Growth in the quarter was driven mainly by ICT, crops, trade, transport, manufacturing and education, which together made up the bulk of the overall economic performance. Meanwhile, the sectors that experienced the biggest contractions included oil and gas, health and social work, mining and quarrying, accommodation and food services, and other personal services. The GDP deflator showed slower growth, indicating some moderation in price levels during the period.
Following the release of the data, the Ghana Statistical Service issued recommendations for key economic actors. Households were encouraged to take advantage of easing food prices to spend cautiously and rebuild savings. Businesses were advised to channel investments into high-performing sectors such as ICT, trade, transport, crops and manufacturing to maximise returns and align with the country’s growth trajectory. Policymakers were urged to address the deep contraction in the oil and gas sector while strengthening support for ICT, agriculture, trade and transport to sustain broad-based expansion and reduce the economy’s exposure to external shocks.