What is the purpose of the GNHR?

The GNHR was established to create a comprehensive, credible national social registry that supports evidence-based targeting of social protection programmes across Ghana, ensuring the right households receive the right benefits.

When was the GNHR established?

The GNHR was established in 2017 under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) as Ghana's official national household registry.

How many regions does GNHR cover?

The GNHR covers all 16 regions of Ghana, spanning 255 districts and over 18,000 communities nationwide.

What programmes use GNHR data?

GNHR data supports multiple social protection programmes including LEAP (Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty), the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), school feeding programmes, and other poverty-targeted interventions.

About | GNHR

Our Mission

A single register for all social protection

The Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) continues to make significant progress toward establishing a comprehensive and credible National Social Registry to support evidence-based targeting of social protection programmes.

As of the current reporting period, GNHR operations span 16 regions and 255 districts, with data collected from 18,457 communities nationwide.

Using the Proxy Means Test (PMT) methodology developed based on the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 7, 2016/17), GNHR classifies households into welfare categories to ensure objective, transparent, and data-driven beneficiary selection.

Four Pillars of the Registry

Our registry is built on four foundational principles that guide every aspect of our operations.

Comprehensive Database

A unified database containing over 2.9 million household records covering all 16 regions and 255 districts of Ghana, providing the largest and most complete social registry in the country.

Transparency

Community-driven data collection processes with public verification, ensuring that every household has an opportunity to validate the information captured about them.

Efficient Targetting

The Proxy Means Test (PMT) methodology objectively classifies households, enabling data-driven identification of extreme poor and absolute poor households for targeted interventions.

Awareness

Continuous public education and community engagement programmes build trust, ensure inclusive participation, and maintain the integrity of the registry.

Legal Mandate

Statutory Basis for the GNHR

The Ghana National Household Registry is formally established and governed by Sections 10 to 13 of the Social Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1148) — passed by Parliament and assented to by the President on 14th August 2025. The provisions below are reproduced directly from the Act.

Section 10

Establishment of National Household Registry

Act 1148

(1)

There is established by this Act, the National Household Registry as a unit under the Research, Statistics and Information Management Directorate of the Ministry.

(2)

The Minister shall ensure the effective and efficient management of the National Household Registry.

Section 11

Functions of the National Household Registry

Act 1148

The National Household Registry shall perform the following functions:

(a)
Collect and maintain relevant data on non-poor, poor, extreme poor, and vulnerable individuals and households.
(b)
Categorise the data collected for the purpose of targeting beneficiaries for social protection interventions.
(c)
Update the data every five years in consonance with the Ghana Living Standards Survey data and other relevant indicators.
(d)
Establish mechanisms to facilitate co-ordination and data-sharing protocols with relevant programmes, institutions and individuals in accordance with data protection enactments.
(e)
Agree on data-sharing protocols with relevant agencies and programmes to facilitate emergency responses.

Section 12

Targeting of Beneficiaries for Social Protection Interventions

Act 1148

Every social protection programme shall identify beneficiaries from the GNHR database — mandatory under this Act.

(1)

A social protection intervention or a social protection programme shall identify beneficiaries from the database of the National Household Registry.

(2)

Where there is no data from the National Household Registry, a social protection intervention or programme may collaborate with the National Household Registry to collect the data.

(3)

The selection of beneficiaries is subject to the eligibility criteria of the particular social protection intervention or programme.

Section 13

Community Targeting

Act 1148

"The selection of communities for a social protection intervention or a social protection programme shall be guided by the National Household Registry and statistics published by the Ghana Statistical Service or any other statutory body."

— Social Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1148), Section 13

This provision makes the GNHR the primary reference point for all community-level targeting decisions across Ghana's social protection system, ensuring geographic targeting is evidence-driven and nationally consistent.

Read the full Act

Social Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1148) · Parliament of Ghana

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About GNHR

A single register for all social protection

Four Pillars of the Registry

Comprehensive Database

Transparency

Efficient Targetting

Awareness

Data Collection Approach

Statutory Basis for the GNHR

Establishment of National Household Registry

Functions of the National Household Registry

Targeting of Beneficiaries for Social Protection Interventions

Community Targeting

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The Registry

Our Process

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