The bar chart illustrates the proportions of Ghanaian households in three poverty categories – very poor, poor, and non-poor – with access to a refrigerator, electricity, and water in 1991/92 and 1998/99.
Overall, non-poor households consistently had the highest access to all three amenities across both periods, while very poor households had the lowest. Although access to electricity and water improved for all groups over time, the rise in refrigerator ownership was modest and remained extremely low among the very poor.
In 1991/92, access levels showed significant disparities across poverty groups. Only 3% of very poor households possessed a refrigerator, compared with 11% of poor and 24% of non-poor households. By 1998/99, these figures increased slightly to 3%, 7%, and 37% respectively, indicating that non-poor households experienced the most notable growth.
For electricity, 48% of very poor households had access in 1991/92, rising marginally to 48% in 1998/99. In contrast, access among the poor increased from 57% to 48% (showing a slight decline), whereas the non-poor saw a substantial rise from 73% to 85%.
Access to water was the highest among the three amenities. In 1991/92, 55% of very poor households had access, compared to 69% of poor and 76% of non-poor households. By 1998/99, all categories saw improvements: the very poor increased to 57%, the poor to 69%, and the non-poor to 80%.