The pressure sits at the counter: Ghana sees rise in officials demanding bribes
New governance data suggests more citizens were asked for unofficial payments while accessing public services in the second half of 2025, despite improvements in Ghana’s overall corruption indicators.
A growing number of Ghanaians seeking public services say they were asked by officials to make unofficial payments, according to new governance data highlighting the everyday challenges citizens face when dealing with state institutions.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) found that 69.4% of people who encountered bribery between July and December 2025 said public officials requested the payment.
This was a sharp increase from 50.9% in the first half of the year, suggesting that the biggest challenge was not only citizens offering bribes, but officials demanding them.
"The pressure sits at the counter," Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu said while presenting the findings.
"The problem now is less what citizens offer and more of what officials would ask."
The survey found that 18% of Ghanaians paid a bribe while accessing public services during the second half of 2025, up from 14.3% in the first six months of the year.
The findings were presented during a Governance Series event organised by Three Reports and the GSS.
Police remain the biggest concern
The Ghana Police Service, particularly the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), recorded the highest reported cases of bribery among public institutions surveyed.
More than half of people who interacted with MTTD officers reported giving gifts or making unofficial payments.
However, Dr Iddrisu said the figures showed some improvement compared with previous years.
"Every one of the biggest offending public institutions improved. I must say that the police remain top of the list," he said.
The survey showed reported bribery involving MTTD officers declined from 61% in 2024 to 53.6% in 2025.
Other institutions where respondents reported frequent bribery experiences included police general duties, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), traffic management officials, immigration services and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Meanwhile, some institutions, including the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Narcotics Control Commission and Minerals Commission, recorded no reports of gift-giving among respondents.
A mixed picture on corruption
Although the latest six-month figures showed deterioration, the Government Statistician said Ghana's overall governance picture improved when the full year of 2025 was compared with 2024.
The proportion of citizens who reported paying bribes fell from 18.4% in 2024 to 16.8% in 2025.
The survey also found that high-value bribe payments above GH¢1,000 nearly halved, dropping from 14.7% to 7.6%.
Dr Iddrisu said both trends could exist at the same time because the six-monthly survey tracks short-term changes as well as longer-term progress.
"The full year, which is 2025, got better compared to 2024. Both of these stories are true," he said.
Citizens demanding better access
The research also examined whether citizens felt included in decision-making.
The proportion of people who felt they had no say at all in government decisions dropped from 42.4% in 2024 to 29.7% in 2025.
However, the latest six-month data showed a slight increase in feelings of exclusion, particularly among young people, older citizens, unemployed people and those living with disabilities.
Dr Iddrisu said the findings pointed to the need for reforms that reduce opportunities for informal payments.
He called for greater digitisation of public services, stronger protection for citizens who refuse to pay bribes and more accessible reporting channels.
"Good governance is the foundation under every development plan we have as a country," he said.
The survey was based on interviews with nationally representative households across Ghana’s 16 regions, covering citizens’ experiences with public services between July and December 2025.