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Hunger · Ghana · Northern, Upper West, Upper East

Child malnutrition in Northern (pre 2022)

28%of children under five stunted (2022 survey)High

Northern (pre 2022) ranks 3rd of 17 parts of Ghana for child stunting, above Ghana's 17%.

7.1%children under 5 wasted; Ghana 6.0%
19%children under 5 underweight; Ghana 12%
67%children 6-59 months anaemic; Ghana 49%

Child stunting across Ghana

The same 2022 survey, every part it reports.

  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%

Frequently asked questions

What is the child malnutrition rate in Northern (pre 2022)?

In Ghana's 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, 28% of children under five in Northern (pre 2022) were stunted (too short for their age), 7.1% wasted and 19% underweight.

Is malnutrition in Northern (pre 2022) worse than in the rest of Ghana?

Northern (pre 2022) ranks 3rd of 17 for stunting in the survey, highest first, above Ghana's 17%.

How many children are anaemic in Northern (pre 2022)?

67% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Northern (pre 2022) had anaemia in 2022, above Ghana's 49%; WHO counts 40% or more as a severe public health problem.

Is there data for cities and towns in Northern (pre 2022)?

The survey reports Ghana by Northern, Upper West, Upper East and its parts, not by city, so a town or neighbourhood in Northern (pre 2022) shares these figures. Local clinics and nutrition programmes keep their own records.

Source: Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2022 (GH2022DHS), via The DHS Program, STATcompiler. Survey estimates for small regions carry wide margins; read differences of a few points as similar.

Hunger in Ghana as a whole

Undernourishment, food insecurity, the Global Hunger Index and the UN's latest estimates for the country.

Hunger in Ghana