Ghana: 79,733 girls aged 12-17 either married or living with a man

About 79,733 girls in Ghana aged between 12 to 17 are in union (married or living together with a man) according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC).

26,000 are girls aged 12 to 14 years

Out of this number, about 26,000 are girls aged 12 to 14 years (of Junior High School going age).

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Northern Region- 14,031 girls (17.6%)

The Northern Region, with about 14,031 girls confirming that they have been married to or are living with a man, is the region with the highest number of cases. This represents about 17.6% of girls in such a situation countrywide.

Regionally, this number represents about 10.6% of girls of school-going age who have ever lived with older men or been in a marital situation.

Ashanti Region-9,767 girls

It is followed by the Ashanti Region, where about 9,767 girls are living in union with men. This is about 12.25% of the national situation.

At the regional level, however, this is just about 2.7% of girls in the region aged between 12 and 17 years.

Greater Accra Region-6,063 girls 

The Greater Accra Region, ranked third on this ignominious list, with about 6,063 girls having lived in union with men, representing about 7.60% of the national situation.

However, this number is only about 1.9% of girls within the region who are in the 12 to 17 years bracket.

Upper East (5,848 ), North East (5,536), Upper West (5,009)

The Upper East Region has about 5,848 girls living with men, closely followed by the North East Region with 5,536 girls and the Upper West Region with 5,009 girls living in union with adult men.

These regions represent about 7.33, 6.94 and 6.28 per cent (respectively) of the national total.

At the Regional level, however, the North East region recorded the highest proportion of girls between 12 and 17 years (13 percent) who have ever lived a marital existence.

Central (4,932)  and Western (4,534)

The Central Region followed suit with around 4,932 girls stating that they had ever lived in a union with men.

This number represents about 6.19% of the national total, while about 4,534 girls in the Western Region are on record to have lived in union with older men. This represents about 5.69% of the national total.

However, only 2.5% of girls in the Central Region and 3.5% of girls in the Western Region are living in a union.

Eastern (4,520)

In the Eastern Region, around 4,520 girls between 12 and 17 years stated that they were either married to or living in a union of sorts with a man. That is about 5.67% of the total number of girls who made such a claim during the 2020 Population and Housing Census.

Savannah (4,188)

This number is slightly higher than was recorded in the Savannah Region, where about 4,188 girls said they had ever lived with a man.  This number is around 5.2% of girls in Ghana living in this situation.

It however represents a whopping 10.9% of girls in the newly-created region who are aged between 12 and 17 years old.

Volta (3,667)

In the Volta Region, around 3,667 girls aged between 12 and 17 years confirmed that they were either married to or living with a man, representing about 4.6% of the national total. At the regional level, this represents only about 3.2% of girls 12- to 17-year-old girls in the region.

Bono East(3,356)

In the meantime, about 3,356 girls in the Bono East Region confirmed that they were either married to or had lived with a grown man. This is about 4.4% of 12-to 17-year-old girls in the region.

Oti (2,424)

The Oti Region, with just around 2,424 cases of girls living in union with a man, represents about 3.04% of the national situation.

Bono (2,323) and Western North (2,267)

It is followed by the Bono Region which has 2,323 girls and the Western North Region which has 2,267 girls, which represent 2.91 and 2.84 percent of the national situation, respectively.

Ahafo(1,268)

The Ahafo region recorded the lowest number of girls either married to or living with a man.

The region has 1,268 girls living with a man. Although this number represents just about 1.59% of girls living in this situation, at the intra-regional level, it means around 3.3% of girls in the region aged 12 to 17, have lived with a man.