Demographic characteristics such as population size and age-sex composition have broad ranging consequences for a number of socio-economic indicators such as the welfare of the people. With the current decentralized system of governance and administration of planning in Ghana, it is important that statistics be provided on the size, spatial distribution, patterns and trends of the population. This section of the plan presents the demographic characteristics of the Asante Akim Central Municipality.  

Relief and Drainage

The topography of the Municipality is generally undulating. From the North, the land rises gently to heights between 305 and 610 meters and is interrupted by a stretch of the Akwapim-Mampong Range, which is between 610 and 762 meters.The Municipality is drained by a number of rivers which include Anum, Owerri, Bomire, Abosomtwe, It must be sated however that, the activities of illegal miners continue to affect the volume, flow, colour and aquatic habitat of these rivers.

The drainage pattern of the district can be harnessed for irrigational activities, cultivation of rice, vegetable farming and aqua culture.

Geology and Minerals

The natural resources that abound in the municipality are mainly minerals. Mineral resources include gold deposits found in the metamorphosed lava, pyrodestic rock, quartzites, phyllites, grits, conglomerate and schist stretching from the Konongo-Odumasi to Kyekyewere. The Kyekyewere area is underlain with tuffs, and greyoals also. The Dwease – Praaso stretch is underlained with granite, biotite, and muscovite.

Quite a large area of the Municipality has been acquired in the form of concessions by some companies who have been licensed for prospecting and mining.  

 Climate

The Municipality lies within the semi-equatorial belt characterised by double rainfall maxima. The first rainy season is from May to July and the second from September to November. Mean annual rainfall ranges between 855mm and 1,500mm .The average number of rainy days for the year is between 110 and 120 days the dry harmattan season occur between December and April and is associated with drought conditions, high temperatures, and early morning moist/fog and cold weather conditions. Streams dry up during this period.

Temperature is found to be uniformly high all year round with a mean annual temperature of 26oC. Humidity is high during the rainy season. The months of December to February, however, record very low humidity. This climatic condition is suitable for the cultivation of cash and food crops such as cocoa, citronella, oranges, plantain and vegetables to feed the agro based industries in the Municipality

It is important to note however, that current trends in the climatic conditions of the Municipality is becoming unpredictable. This phenomenon has serious implications for effective agriculture planning. There is therefore the need to advice farmers to explore alternative source of water for agriculture production.

Vegetation

The vegetation of the municipality is semi-deciduous forest comprising of open and closed forests. The forests consist of different species of tropical woods such as Wawa, Ofram, Sapele, Sanfina, Okyere (Kofo), Onyina, Kyenkyen, Otie and Yaya, which have high economic value. The vegetation of the municipality provides a fertile land for investment in agriculture. Food and cash crops such as cassava, rice, maize, cocoa, citrus, oil palm, plantain, and others are widely grown in the area. However, most of the original forest has degenerated into secondary forest and grassland due to indiscriminate felling of trees, bush-fires and poor farming practices. Part of the Dome River Forest Reserve lies within the municipality.

The forest reserve are a source of income to private timber companies, traditional authorities, the Municipal Assembly and individuals. Timber, foodstuffs, raw materials etc. are obtained from the forest for industrial and domestic use. Most of the forest belts are rich with delicacies such as snails and mushroom, which are in season between March and April. In recent times however, the forest is depleting so fast into savannah vegetation through human activities such as agriculture, settlement expansion, bushfires and indiscriminate felling of trees. However, there are prospects for mushroom and snail farming in the forest areas.

 Population Size and Distribution

The population of the Municipality, according to the 2010 population and Housing Census is 71,508. This comprises of 33,942 males (47.5%) and 37,566 (52.5%) females with the sex ratio of 90.4. This means that, there are about 90 males to every 100 females in the municipality.

The population is predominantly urban as most of the people in the Municipality are in urban localities.

The urban population is 48,511 which represents 67.8 percent of the population with the remaining 32.2 percent (22,997) found in the rural areas. Table 1.4.1 shows the population trends in the Municipality.

Population Density

The 2010 census put the population of the municipality at 71,508. This was projected to 73,438 and 75,421 in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The table below shows the trends in population of the municipality form 2000 to 2013.

 Age and Sex Structure

The two characteristics of a population which receive most attention in demographic analyses are age and sex. Age is a critical variable, either directly or indirectly, in almost every population research and analysis (GSS, 2013a). The age-sex structure of the Asante Akim Central Municipality is graphically represented by the pyramid in Figure 1. The figure shows that the age and sex   

The Municipality has a relatively high proportion of its population within the youthful age bracket of 0-24 years (42,377) which constitutes 59.3 percent of the total population of the district. This is demonstrated by a population pyramid with a broad base and a narrow top which gives it a conical shape (Figure 2.1). For instance, out of the total population of the Municipality, persons between the ages of 0-24 years alone constituted 59.3 percent. The age structure affects general fertility rate and ultimately the nature of changes that are likely to occur in the population. Birth and death rates are influenced by the proportions of people in the different ages. Other things being equal, populations that have comparatively large numbers of elderly are likely to record more deaths and fewer births each year than population of equal size that is made of a large proportion of young people within the reproductive ages.

The population aged 0-4 recorded the highest proportion of the Municipality’s population of 14.0 percent followed by those within the age bracket 10-14 with 12.7 Percent and those within the age cohort 5-9 comes next with 12.5 percent. Among the male population starting from age 0-5, every successive higher age cohort recorded a lower population compared with the figure for the previous age cohort except for the (70-74) which recorded a marginal higher figures than the 65-69 age cohorts, the population reduces till the least figure is recorded by age group 95 and above. This trend is the same for the females except for the age cohorts 10-14 and also 70-74.

This broad base indicates higher proportion of the population in the lower age brackets. The overall conical shape of the population pyramid for the district is very typical of the population.

Broad Age / Sex Structure Group

Asante Akim central, like most district and Municipal Assemblies in the country, has a female dominated sex structure of 1 female: 0.94 male. This is traditional of several regions and even in Ghana as a whole. This phenomenon can be attributed to the favourable business climate which attracts mostly women to the municipality, who engage particularly in trading activities.

The sex structure of the Municipal population indicates 49.1% males and 50.9% females. This phenomenon is a true reflection of the national situation. This situation indicates the need for effective policies toward the improvement of females. The age structure of the economy depicts that of a typical developing economy. The broad age structure indicates 45.8% for the 0-14 age cohort, 5.1% for the 65 + and 49.1% for 1 
Nationality

Ghana is a composed of people from all background and nationality and as such it is not uncommon to find other nationals resident in the Asante Akim central municipality .Ghanaians by birth (96.5%) resident in the municipality accounts for the most nationals, followed by dual nationality residents (1.4%) and ECOWAS nationals (0.9%). 

Soils

The soil type in the municipality is predominantly forest ochrosol. This soil type is fertile and supports the production of cash and food crops such as oil palm, cereals, cassava, plantain, cocoa and vegetables. The soil associations are:

Offinso Compound,

Wiawso Shai, and

Swedru – Nsaba.