|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: Viral Facebook posts allege that Ghana experienced “the largest migration in history” under the NPP administration, while others claim an estimated 60,000–70,000 Ghanaians migrated to Europe in 2025 alone.
Verdict: Misleading! Economic hardship has increased migration aspirations in recent years, but there is no credible evidence that Ghana experienced the “largest migration in history” under the NPP or that 60,000–70,000 Ghanaians migrated to Europe in 2025.
Full Text
Migration has become a major political and social issue in Ghana in recent years, fuelled by rising living costs, inflation, unemployment and economic pressures. This environment has intensified public debate around the “Japa” (emigration) phenomenon.
In late April 2025, two related Facebook posts went viral. On 28 April at 11:44 AM, Oteng Amponsah Enock posted a bright purple graphic stating:
“Under NPP, we had the largest migration in history! Everyone wanted to leave Ghana! Never in human history have citizens had to live each day as we did under the previous regime! Second independence is here to stay,” the post received 273 likes, 301 comments, and 11 shares.
The following day, April 29, at 11:23 AM, Ernest Ohene Kyei in what appeared to be a reaction to the original post, wrote: “Meanwhile, available data suggests that an estimated 60,000–70,000 people migrated from Ghana to Europe ONLY in 2025, which is quite higher than figures from the last 5 years!” His post (which included a screenshot of Oteng’s graphic) recorded 382 likes, 220 comments, and 13 shares.
The posts, at least the first one, frame migration as direct evidence of severe hardship and governance failure under the “previous regime” (NPP, 2017–2025), using emotionally charged language such as “Everyone wanted to leave Ghana!” and “Never in human history have citizens painfully lived each day as we did.”
Some users amplified the claims with political attacks, for example:
- Isaac Opoku Frimpong said: “Absolutely, his audience actually believed that Mahama could do 1:3:3, post teachers and nurses automatically…”
- Adom JB Wiredu commented: “Infantile analysis. That period of large migration was made possible due to a scheme in the UK to attract health professionals…”
Meanwhile, others pushed back or demanded evidence:
- Akolbila Emmanuel Azure queried: “Which source should we get the available data from? And we do a thorough analysis to actually ascertain the percentage in 2025 that emigrated… and also analyse the same with the period of 8 years before 2025!”
- Kaakyiene Jeneral Won said: “Currently, Ghanaians are not travelling outside the country, because they don’t have money.”
The significant engagement and the mix of strong opinions, personal attacks, and calls for verified data show how the emigration debate has become deeply politicised on social media.
DUBAWA intervened because these unsourced numerical claims are spreading rapidly without any cited methodology, dataset, or institution, risking the distortion of public understanding of migration trends and influencing political discourse on a sensitive national issue.
We reviewed official migration datasets and publicly available statistics from international migration agencies and European authorities to verify the claims.
Verification
What official data says
The most authoritative source reviewed by DUBAWA is the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix report.
The report recorded a total of 25,556 irregular arrivals from the entire West and Central Africa region into Europe in 2025 through both land and sea routes. The West and Central Africa region includes more than 20 countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia.
Importantly, Ghana was not among the leading countries of origin of irregular migrants arriving in Europe during the period under review. The report identified Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria among the major origin countries.
The report also found that irregular arrivals along key migration corridors, including the Western Africa Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, declined by 42 per cent compared with 2024.
The total for regional irregular migration, therefore, remains far below the viral claim that 60,000–70,000 Ghanaians alone migrated to Europe in 2025. While irregular migration is often in the spotlight, the reality is that irregular entries account for a small fraction of migration in the EU.
Eurostat residence permit data contradicts the claim
Eurostat, the European Union’s official statistical office, tracks first residence permits issued to non-EU nationals for work, study, family reunification and other long-term legal migration purposes.
Eurostat data reviewed by DUBAWA showed that Ghanaian nationals received roughly 13,000 first residence permits across EU member states in 2024.
Ghana was not among the top nationalities receiving residence permits in Europe, unlike countries such as Ukraine, India, Morocco and Syria.
As of the time of writing, comprehensive nationality-level breakdowns for 2025 had not yet been fully published in publicly accessible Eurostat summary datasets reviewed by DUBAWA.
Schengen visa statistics show increased travel interest – not mass migration
DUBAWA also reviewed official Schengen short-stay visa statistics, which provide insight into temporary travel applications from Ghana to Europe.
According to Schengen statistics analysed from official European data:
- Ghanaian residents submitted 56,032 Schengen visa applications in 2024.
- About 29,915 visas were approved.
- 24,945 applications were rejected, representing a rejection rate of 44.52 per cent.
- Applications increased by 23.36 per cent compared with 2023.
The Netherlands recorded the highest number of applications from Ghanaian residents, while Germany recorded one of the highest approval rates.
However, DUBAWA notes that Schengen short-stay visas are not migration figures. They mainly cover:
- tourism,
- business travel,
- conferences,
- family visits,
- and temporary stays of up to 90 days.
Meanwhile, approved visas also do not necessarily translate into completed travel, as some successful applicants may not eventually travel.
The figures, therefore, indicate increased interest in travelling to Europe rather than evidence of mass migration.
Historical data weakens the “largest migration in history” claim
Historical Schengen statistics further show that Ghana has consistently recorded significant interest in travel and migration to Europe for many years.
Between 2014 and 2019:
- Ghanaian residents submitted more than 206,000 Schengen visa applications
- The Netherlands alone received over 64,000 applications from Ghanaian residents
- Germany received more than 36,000 applications during the same period
Nonetheless, Ghana experienced major emigration waves during the economic crises and structural adjustment periods of the 1970s and 1980s, long before the NPP era. Academic migration studies note that “mass emigration in the 1970s and 1980s” helped create Ghana’s large modern diaspora.
Available migration studies show that a large share of Ghanaian migration occurs within West Africa, particularly within ECOWAS countries, where labour mobility and temporary cross-border movement remain common.
“Largest migration in history” is exaggerated
No official dataset reviewed by DUBAWA shows that the NPP administration recorded the single largest migration episode in Ghana’s history.
Historical evidence shows that Ghana experienced substantial waves of migration decades earlier. The claim, therefore, exaggerates the available evidence.
The 60,000–70,000 figure has no verifiable source
The viral posts cite “available data” without identifying any institution, methodology or dataset. Neither the IOM reports, Eurostat migration statistics, Schengen visa data, nor publicly available Ghana Statistical Service datasets support the figure.
Migration statistics are often misunderstood
Migration figures consist of different categories, including:
- long-term residence permits
- temporary visas
- irregular migration
- work permits
- student mobility
- and family reunification
Combining or confusing these categories can create misleading impressions about actual migration levels.
Wider context
Migration from West Africa is influenced by several global factors, including employment opportunities, education, family reunification, economic inequality and limited legal migration pathways.
The IOM also recorded 3,845 migrant deaths and disappearances along West and Central African migration routes in 2025, highlighting the dangers associated with irregular migration.
Despite increased applications from Ghanaian residents, Ghana accounted for less than one per cent of global Schengen visa applications in 2024.
Conclusion
DUBAWA found that although economic hardship and unemployment contributed to increased migration aspirations among many Ghanaians in recent years, there is no credible evidence supporting the claim that Ghana experienced the “largest migration in history” under the NPP administration.
