At least six out of ten Ghanaians have expressed a desire to travel abroad in search of better opportunities.

According to the 2024 Afrobarometer report, these individuals have considered leaving the country, primarily to improve their economic circumstances.

The report highlights that the proportion of citizens who have given “a lot” of thought to emigrating has more than doubled since 2017.

The main reasons cited are the pursuit of employment opportunities and the desire to escape economic hardship.

The survey further reveals that the most likely groups to consider emigration are the highly educated, young people, and the unemployed.

North America is the most popular destination, followed by Europe.

The report notes, “The most common reasons cited for potential emigration are finding work opportunities (55%) and escaping economic hardship (33%). The most popular destinations among potential emigrants are North America (55%) and Europe (24%).”

Afrobarometer further discovered that, “Six in ten respondents (61%) say they have considered leaving Ghana, a 20 percentage-point increase compared to 2017 (41%). The share of those who say they have given ‘a lot’ of thought to the idea has more than doubled, from 20% to 44%.”

It concluded that “Emigration is most commonly considered by the most educated citizens (78% of those with post-secondary education) and the youth (72% of 18- to 35-year-olds).

More than two-thirds (68%) of people who are currently unemployed have thought about leaving Ghana, while nearly as many part-time workers (65%) and full-time workers (63%) have also considered emigration.”