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Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Ghana

13Global Hunger Index 2026, rank 65Moderate

6.4% of people in Ghana do not get enough to eat, about 2.2 million. 17% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 5.8% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 10% in Eastern to 30% in Northern(post 2022).

6.4%undernourished (2024, FAO)
44%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
17%children under 5 stunted (2022)
5.8%children under 5 wasted (2022)
12%children under 5 underweight (2022)
2.0%children under 5 overweight (2022)
60%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
36 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Ghana

Children under five too short for their age, the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (2022). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

  1. 1Northern(post 2022)Northern, Upper West, Upper East30%
  2. 2NortheastNorthern, Upper West, Upper East29%
  3. 3Northern (pre 2022)Northern, Upper West, Upper East28%
  4. 4Upper EastNorthern, Upper West, Upper East21%
  5. 5SavannahNorthern, Upper West, Upper East21%
  6. 6OtiVolta (pre 2022)20%
  7. 7Ashanti17%
  8. 8BonoBrong-Ahafo17%
  9. 9Central17%
  10. 10AhafoBrong-Ahafo17%
  11. 11Upper WestNorthern, Upper West, Upper East17%
  12. 12Volta (post 2022)Volta (pre 2022)14%
  13. 13Bono EastBrong-Ahafo14%
  14. 14Western (post 2022)Western (pre 2022)14%
  15. 15Greater Accra11%
  16. 16Western NorthWestern (pre 2022)11%
  17. 17Eastern10%

Global Hunger Index score over time

Out of 100, lower is better. The index rescores past years with the latest data, so these are comparable with each other.

  1. 200029
  2. 200622.1
  3. 201217.7
  4. 201815.5
  5. 202613

Undernourishment in Ghana since 2002

Share of people not getting enough calories, FAO. Each figure is a three-year average centred on the year.

  1. 200213%
  2. 200412%
  3. 200610%
  4. 20088.1%
  5. 20106.9%
  6. 20127.7%
  7. 20148.7%
  8. 20169.5%
  9. 20187.5%
  10. 20205.7%
  11. 20225.9%
  12. 20246.4%

How Ghana compares

Ghana has the 58th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 43rd of 47.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ghana's rank in the Global Hunger Index?

Ghana ranks 65 in the 2026 Global Hunger Index with a score of 13, which the index calls moderate. It scored 29 in 2000. The score combines undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and deaths of children under five.

How many people are hungry in Ghana?

FAO estimates 6.4% of people in Ghana were undernourished in 2024, about 2.2 million people. 44% faced moderate or severe food insecurity (2024).

What percentage of children are stunted in Ghana?

17% of children under five in Ghana were stunted in 2022, which WHO rates medium. 5.8% were wasted (2022). That ranks Ghana 58 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Ghana has the most malnutrition?

In the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, Northern(post 2022) had the highest share of stunted children, 30%, and Eastern the lowest, 10%.

Sources: FAO (undernourishment, food insecurity), UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Malnutrition Estimates (stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight), WHO (anaemia) and UN IGME (child deaths), as published by the World Bank; Global Hunger Index 2026; regions from the DHS Program (GH2022DHS).

Hunger in other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

All countries