Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Ghana
Ghana: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 1.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of severe wasting, 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 severe wasting, weight for height in Ghana is 1.2%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Ghana peaked at 4.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2014.
That places Ghana 36th out of 85 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 2.1% | — |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +90.5% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -45.0% |
| 1998 | 2.5% | +13.6% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | +12.0% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | -35.7% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +33.3% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -41.7% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -50.0% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +57.1% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +9.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 1.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 92% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 1.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%, 96% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.2% | 4.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 36 Saudi Arabia 1.2% compare
- 38 Ethiopia 1.1% compare
- 38 Kazakhstan 1.1% compare
- 38 Senegal 1.1% compare
- 38 Togo 1.1% compare
- 38 Uzbekistan 1.1% 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 severe wasting, weight for height in Ghana?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Ghana was 1.2% 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 recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2014.
- How does Ghana rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Ghana ranks 36th out of 85 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of severe wasting is the proportion of children 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.