What is the population of Accra?
Accra has a city population of 1,963,264. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.
Capital city · Ghana · Africa
Accra
City population
1,963,264
#2
in Ghana
#1
in Greater Accra
#211
worldwide
5.556, -0.197
About Accra
Accra's metropolitan area encompasses 2,557,000 people, making it one of Africa's largest urban centers. The city proper holds 1,963,264 residents at a density of 2,861 people per km², reflecting concentrated settlement across its relatively compact footprint. Annual growth of 2.9% indicates steady demographic expansion.
Located at 33 meters elevation on Ghana's coast, Accra is served by Kotoka International Airport. The city is governed by mayor Elizabeth K.T. Sackey.
This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Metro population
2,557,000
0.031% of world population
Archive estimateAnnual growth
+2.85%
Archive estimateDensity
2,861/km²
894 km² metro area
Key Facts
Country
Region
Rank in region
#1of 15
Leadership
Elizabeth K.T. Sackey
Coordinates
5.556, -0.197
Record updated
29 April 2026
Entry edited, not measured
City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.
Nearby Cities
All 98 in GhanaClosest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.
Compared with the World's Largest Cities
City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.
| Name | City population |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 24.9M |
| Beijing | 19M |
| Shenzhen | 17.5M |
| Guangzhou | 16.1M |
| Kinshasa | 16M |
| Istanbul | 15.7M |
| Lagos | 15.4M |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 14M |
| Chengdu | 13.6M |
| Lahore | 13M |
| Mumbai | 12.7M |
| São Paulo | 12.4M |
| Mexico City | 12.3M |
| Karachi | 11.6M |
| Tianjin | 11.1M |
| Accra | 1.96M |
Airports
Scheduled-service airports within 100 km, nearest first.
- Kotoka International AirportACC
6 km from the city centre
Source: OurAirports, matched by distance.
Population Trend in Ghana
No free source publishes city population back to 1950, so the parent country's series is shown instead.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 5,080,664 |
| 1960 | 6,961,215 |
| 1970 | 8,925,813 |
| 1980 | 11,941,448 |
| 1990 | 15,394,648 |
| 2000 | 19,637,087 |
| 2010 | 25,474,995 |
| 2020 | 31,887,809 |
| 2030 | 38,222,089 |
| 2040 | 44,568,350 |
| 2050 | 50,553,047 |
| 2060 | 55,750,054 |
| 2070 | 60,088,946 |
| 2080 | 63,606,282 |
| 2090 | 66,099,925 |
| 2100 | 67,547,746 |
Accra Population FAQ
Where is Accra?
Accra is in Greater Accra, Ghana. Its coordinates are 5.556, -0.197.
How big is Accra compared with other cities in Ghana?
It is the 2nd largest of the 98 cities listed in Ghana, holding 5.6% of the national population.