Prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana
Ghana: Prevalence of anemia among children was 59.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana, 2000–2019
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of children ages 6-59 months.
Analysis
In 2019, prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana stood at 59.5%. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana peaked at 76.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 59.5%, in 2019.
Ghana ranks 24th of 190 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of children ages 6-59 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 76.4% | — |
| 2001 | 76.2% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 76.0% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 75.7% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 75.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 74.8% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 74.2% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 73.5% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 71.7% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 70.5% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 69.4% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 68.4% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 67.5% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 66.5% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 65.4% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 64.1% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 62.6% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 61.0% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 59.5% | -2.5% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 59.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47.9%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 59.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.4%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 74.6% | 71.7% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.5% | 59.5% | 70.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More health data for Ghana
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.37 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6224 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 986.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,361 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5623 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.06 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.5816 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana?
- Prevalence of anemia among children in Ghana was 59.5% in 2019, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of anemia among children recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 76.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of anemia among children recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5% in 2019.
- How does Ghana rank for prevalence of anemia among children?
- Ghana ranks 24th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of anemia among children rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of anemia, children ages 6-59 months, is the percentage of children ages 6-59 months whose hemoglobin level is less than 110 grams per liter, adjusted for altitude.