The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed that nearly one in every five Ghanaian gave money or gifts to a public official between January and June 2025, according to the latest findings from the Governance Series Wave Two Report.

The data was released today as part of the 2025 African Statistics Day commemoration, which highlighted the importance of using credible data to promote justice, peace and prosperity across the continent.

Presenting the report, the Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, underscored the need for timely governance statistics to strengthen accountable and responsive institutions. 

He explained that the Governance Series was designed to integrate citizen experiences with administrative records, enabling policymakers to better monitor transparency, participation and public service delivery.

The new wave of data shows a fall in overall bribery prevalence, with 14.3 per cent of respondents reporting that they offered gifts or money to public officials, down from 18.4 per cent in the previous wave. 

Although fewer people engaged in the practice, the frequency of gift-giving among those who did increased significantly. The share of respondents who gave gifts five or more times rose from 6.9 per cent to 24 per cent.

Money remained the most common form of gift, with more than half of respondents giving one hundred Ghana cedis or less. Direct requests for gifts by officials dropped from 51.3 per cent to 38.6 per cent, while voluntary gifts “in appreciation” almost doubled, moving from 17.6 per cent to 32.9 per cent. Reporting of bribery incidents through formal or informal channels also declined.

The Motor Traffic and Transport Division of the Ghana Police Service continued to be the institution most associated with gifts or bribes, although its share reduced from 61 per cent in Wave One to 51.9 per cent.