Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Ghana
Ghana: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 12.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age 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 underweight, weight for age in Ghana is 12.0%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Ghana peaked at 25.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2014.
Ghana ranks 38th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 22.9% | — |
| 1993 | 25.1% | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 22.2% | -11.6% |
| 1998 | 20.1% | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 13.9% | -26.8% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | -16.4% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | +12.5% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | -4.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 12.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 12.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 84% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.9% | 22.9% | 22.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 20.1% | 25.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 11.2% | 13.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 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 underweight, weight for age in Ghana?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Ghana was 12.0% 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 underweight, weight for age recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 25.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2014.
- How does Ghana rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Ghana ranks 38th out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. 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 underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of underweight children is the percentage of children under age 5 whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.