Demographics
With an estimated population of about 3.9 million, Accra is today one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Africa, with an annual growth rate of 3.36%.
The period between 1960 and 1970 saw rapid industrialisation and expansion in Accra's manufacturing and commercial sectors. This contributed to high rural-urban migration from west African nationals to the city, and consequently a high population growth rate.
The stagnation of the Ghanaian economy during the 1970s slowed the growth of Accra’s population, as shown by the falling growth rate of the 1970-1984 intercensal years. Later, however, the decline in agriculture in rural communities in Ghana and rising industrialisation in urban regions, coupled with the late-1980s boom in the service sector, once again propelled immigration to Accra.
The primacy of the Accra Metropolitan Area as Ghana's administrative, educational, industrial and commercial centre continues to be the major force for its rapid population growth, with immigration contributing to over 35% of the city's population growth.
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