ACCRA – Public officials demanded unofficial payments from nearly seven in every 10 Ghanaians who encountered bribery situations in the second half of 2025, according to a new Governance Series report released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The findings highlight growing corruption pressures within public institutions, even as Ghana recorded an overall improvement in governance indicators compared to 2024.
Presenting the report at a Governance Series event organised by Three Reports and the GSS on Tuesday, August 4, Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu said the share of citizens who reported that public officials demanded bribes rose sharply from 51% in the first half of 2025 to 69% in the second half.
“The pressure sits at the counter. The problem now is less what citizens offer and more of what officials would ask,” Dr Iddrisu said.
The report also found that the proportion of Ghanaians who paid a bribe increased from 14.3% to 18% over the same period, meaning nearly one in five citizens paid unofficial fees to access public services.
According to the report, corruption is increasingly driven by demands from public officials rather than voluntary offers by citizens, leaving many people with little choice but to pay to access services.
The Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and other law enforcement agencies were identified among the institutions where bribery demands were most prevalent.
The report also indicated that men and urban residents were more likely to encounter demands for unofficial payments, while public institutions continue to lose significant revenue through procurement breaches, cash irregularities and uncollected funds.
Despite the worsening experiences with bribery, Dr Iddrisu stressed that Ghana’s overall governance performance improved in 2025.
“The full year, which is 2025, got better compared to 2024. Both of these stories are true, and that’s the beauty of the six-monthly survey that we do, to be able to look at trends within waves and even compare between years,” he explained.
The Governance Series survey tracks the same nationally representative households across all 16 regions, allowing the GSS to monitor changes in citizens’ experiences over time. The latest findings are based on interviews conducted in the first quarter of 2026, covering experiences between July and December 2025.
The report comes amid renewed calls for stronger anti-corruption measures and improved remuneration for public sector workers to reduce incentives for bribery and restore confidence in public service delivery.
