COVID-19 in Ghana: Impact on Living Standards and Poverty of Low-Income Earners

This study analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the economically bottom-class, low-income earners in Ghana, focusing on small-scale vendors to provide evidence of how the pandemic affected their day-to-day living conditions and poverty. How did the COVID-19 pandemic’s outcomes impact the economic and personal living standards of low-income earners in Ghana? I utilised content analysis and SPSS descriptive statistics to analyse 384 small-scale vendors (traders with Ghc500-Ghc3000 capital) in four cities or towns in Ghana between August and October 2021. Data analysis provides micro-level evidence that COVID-19 has threatened people’s ordinary living standards and has worsened poverty. Specifically, I find evidence that the pandemic’s outcomes negatively aff ected the socio-economic life of small-scale vendors, limiting their access to food, water, medical care, income, and capital while increasing poverty. The study expands the literature on the socio-economic impact of infectious diseases and serves policy relevance.