Table 4.
Percentage distribution of elderly persons aged 60 and above in Ghana by selected characteristics, 1984–2000.
| Characteristics | 1984 | 2000 | Sex ratio | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | 1984 | 2000 | |
| Place of residence | ||||||||
| Rural | 77.4 | 72.1 | 74.7 | 61.7 | 60.7 | 61.2 | 103.7 | 88.4 |
| Urban | 22.6 | 27.9 | 25.3 | 38.3 | 39.3 | 38.8 | 78.1 | 85.0 |
|
| ||||||||
| Education | ||||||||
| No education | 71.1 | 77.7 | 74.8 | 60.8 | 70.2 | 66.6 | 91.1 | 88.9 |
| Primary | 18.9 | 20.0 | 19.3 | 23.7 | 21.5 | 22.2 | 93.4 | 102.1 |
| Secondary | 5.7 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 9.3 | 5.2 | 7.1 | 112.2 | 117.8 |
| Tertiary | 4.3 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 6.2 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 127.6 | 130.4 |
|
| ||||||||
| Occupational status | ||||||||
| Agricultural | 78.2 | 86.5 | 83.7 | 74.9 | 82.7 | 78.9 | 87.6 | 86.9 |
| Nonagricultural | 21.8 | 13.5 | 16.3 | 25.1 | 17.3 | 21.1 | 109.9 | 107.8 |
|
| ||||||||
| Marital status | ||||||||
| Never married | 4.4 | 9.2 | 7.7 | 3.6 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 82.7 | 80.9 |
| Married | 59.5 | 40.6 | 47.9 | 62.6 | 42.3 | 50.9 | 117.9 | 129.9 |
| Widowed/divorced/separated | 36.1 | 50.2 | 44.4 | 33.8 | 48.9 | 43.7 | 77.7 | 80.1 |
| Number | 349263 | 361872 | 711135 | 631395 | 725280 | 1356675 | 96.5 | 87.1 |
Sources: 1984 and 2000 censuses of Ghana.