For every $1 Ghana earns from exporting pharmaceutical products, it spends about $22 on imports

Key takeaways:

  • For every $1 Ghana earns from pharmaceutical exports, it spends about $22 on imports, underscoring the country’s overwhelming dependence on foreign pharmaceutical products.
  • Ghana is a net importer of medicine and has been for nearly two decades.
  • By 2015, Ghana’s pharmaceutical imports reached its peak with $348.12m while exports were $3.10m, meaning imports were nearly 100 times larger.
  • In 2016, Ghana recorded its highest-ever export performance at $78.33 million, but even then, imports stood at $154.96m, almost two times higher.

Ghana has remained a net importer of pharmaceuticals for nearly two decades. Between 2005 and 2023, imports consistently outweighed exports by a wide margin. In 2005, Ghana imported $55.03 million worth of pharmaceuticals but exported only $191,000. A similar pattern followed in 2006 ($30.72m vs. $668,000) and 2007 ($79.59m vs. $8.63m).

From 2009 to 2014, import bills rose steadily, peaking at $348.12 million in 2015 against just $3.10 million in exports. The lone exception came in 2016, when exports reached a record $78.33 million — yet imports were still almost double at $154.96 million.

Overall, for every $1 Ghana earns from pharmaceutical exports, it spends about $22 on imports, underscoring its enduring dependence on foreign pharmaceutical supplies despite modest export gains.

Source:

United Nations Statistics Division

Period:

2005 - 2023
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