Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Ghana
Ghana: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 2.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Ghana, 1988–2022
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Ghana is 2.0%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Ghana peaked at 5.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1988.
Ghana ranks 77th of 93 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1.0% | — |
| 1993 | 2.9% | +190.0% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -31.0% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +35.0% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | +66.7% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -42.2% |
| 2008 | 5.7% | +119.2% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -54.4% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -46.2% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | +42.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 2.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 50% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 2.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.9%, 69% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 2.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 4.3% | 2.6% | 5.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 74 Chad 2.2% compare
- 74 Guinea-Bissau 2.2% compare
- 76 Gambia 2.1% compare
- 78 Madagascar 1.9% compare
- 79 Bangladesh 1.6% compare
- 80 Burkina Faso 1.5% compare
- 80 Burundi 1.5% compare
- 80 Central African Republic 1.5% compare
- 80 Nigeria 1.5% compare
- 80 Togo 1.5% compare
- 80 Yemen 1.5% compare
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 overweight, weight for height in Ghana?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Ghana was 2.0% in 2022, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 2008.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1988.
- How does Ghana rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- Ghana ranks 77th out of 93 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight children is the percentage of children under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations above the median for the international reference population of the corresponding age as established by the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.