More Ghanaians refuse to pay bribes, but more officials demand money — GSS report
Public officials demanded bribes more frequently in 2025, although a smaller proportion of Ghanaians paid them, the latest Governance Series survey has shown.
The survey also found that more citizens refused to pay bribes despite increased interactions with public institutions.
Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, Government Statistician, announced the findings at the launch of the third wave of the Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) Governance Series in Accra.
The report, which covers July to December 2025 and complements findings from the first half of the year, compares governance indicators with those for 2024.
It found that the proportion of citizens who refused to pay bribes increased from three per cent in the second wave to 4.9 per cent in the third wave.
However, requests for bribes rose from 51 per cent to 69 per cent over the same period, while the proportion of citizens who paid bribes increased from 14.3 per cent to 18 per cent.
On a year-on-year basis, interactions between citizens and public officials increased from 56 per cent in 2024 to 72 per cent in 2025, representing about 1.6 million additional people accessing public services.
Despite the increase in interactions, the proportion of citizens who paid bribes declined from 18.4 per cent in 2024 to 16.8 per cent in 2025, while payments exceeding GH¢1,000 fell from
14.7 per cent to 7.6 per cent.
Dr Iddrisu said the survey tracked the same panel of respondents selected from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, enabling the Ghana Statistical Service to measure changes over time using the same sample.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, he said although the survey did not examine why some citizens refused to pay bribes, the improvement could partly be attributed to Government engagement with institutions identified in earlier findings.
Dr Iddrisu said after the release of the second-wave results, the Office of the Chief of Staff invited the Ghana Statistical Service to a sensitisation session, leading to follow-up engagements with the 10 institutions recording the highest incidence of bribery and those demonstrating better performance.
He said the institutions exchanged experiences and adopted action plans, including the digitisation of processes, to reduce opportunities for bribery.
“This exchange of experience contributed meaningfully to the year-on-year gains,” he said, calling on institutions to sustain efforts that led to the reduction, adding that “the fight against corruption is not a one-day wonder,” he said.
Dr Iddrisualso advocated greater digitisation of public services to reduce direct contact between public officials and citizens, saying such interactions increased the likelihood of bribery.
He called for stronger protection for citizens who refused to pay bribes and greater transparency in decision-making processes, including budget preparation.
Mrs Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, commended citizens who refused to pay bribes and attributed the trend partly to public sensitisation campaigns, including initiatives by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
She said the concentration of corruption in frontline institutions, including health facilities and public schools, remained a concern because it disproportionately affected people unable to afford private alternatives.
Mrs Narteh said some people who were unable to access healthcare without paying bribes resorted to self-treatment, which she described as a threat to equitable access to healthcare.
She welcomed increased civic engagement but expressed concern over the rising frequency of demands for bribes and the exclusion of young people, older persons and persons with disabilities from governance processes.
Mrs Narteh cautioned that the disengagement of young people who perceived government as unresponsive posed a long-term risk, citing unrest associated with youth alienation in parts of West Africa.
GNA