Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Ghana
Ghana: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female was 0.9% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female 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
In 2022, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Ghana stood at 0.9%.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Ghana peaked at 3.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2014.
Ghana ranks 38th of 84 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1.4% | — |
| 1993 | 3.7% | +164.3% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -45.9% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -15.0% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | +52.9% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -42.3% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +60.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -62.5% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -33.3% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +66.7% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 0.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 95% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 0.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9%, 1.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 2.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
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 severe wasting, weight for height, female in Ghana?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Ghana was 0.9% 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 severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2014.
- How does Ghana rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female?
- Ghana ranks 38th out of 84 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of severe wasting, female, is the proportion of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months.