In Ghana, younger adults are leading more households but renting more often

A census-based study finds that younger household heads are increasingly renters, while some housing-quality gaps remain.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

The study examines changes in household position, housing tenure and housing conditions among young adults in Ghana using harmonised data from the 2000, 2010 and 2021 Population and Housing Censuses. It finds that the share of younger adults occupying a household-leading role increased, while owner occupation and rent-free housing became less common among younger heads.

By 2021, market renting was the majority tenure among young household heads. Housing inequalities did not move in one direction: renter-owner differences in exclusive kitchen and bathroom access widened, while differences in overcrowding narrowed.

How housing access changed

The probability of occupying a household-leading role rose across all age groups, with the sharpest increase among adults aged 25 to 34: nearly 19 percentage points between 2000 and 2021. Among younger household heads, owner occupation weakened, non-market or rent-free occupation contracted, and market renting became the majority tenure by 2021. Differences between renters and owners in exclusive access to a kitchen and bathroom widened, while overcrowding gaps narrowed.

Why the shift matters

The findings suggest that generational housing inequality in Ghana is not only about whether young adults own a home or rent for longer. Younger adults are increasingly leading households while accessing housing through a more rental-based system, and they continue to face unequal material conditions in some areas. The results also show why ideas about intergenerational housing inequality developed in high-income, mortgage-based systems may not describe housing change in Ghana well.

Evidence and limits

The study uses harmonised 10% microdata from Ghana’s 2000, 2010 and 2021 Population and Housing Censuses, analysed with binary and multinomial logistic models. Because the evidence comes from census snapshots rather than tracking the same people over time, it identifies changes and relationships but does not establish why they occurred or show that one factor caused another. The findings are specific to Ghana’s housing system and may not apply directly to other countries.

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