Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Ghana

Ghana: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 661,900 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
661,900
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
38th
of 162 countries
All-time high
1.02 million
in 2003
All-time low
660,600
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Ghana, 2000–2024

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M2000201220242000: 994.9k2001: 1.0M2002: 1.0M2003: 1.0M2004: 1.0M2005: 1.0M2006: 1.0M2007: 990.7k2008: 966.4k2009: 941.1k2010: 915.9k2011: 889.4k2012: 867.2k2013: 849.5k2014: 834.4k2015: 819.3k2016: 803.3k2017: 778.4k2018: 748.7k2019: 718.2k2020: 692.0k2021: 670.1k2022: 660.9k2023: 660.6k2024: 661.9k

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Ghana is 661,900, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 20.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Ghana peaked at 1.02 million in 2003 and was at its lowest, 660,600, in 2023.

That places Ghana 38th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 998,470 941,100 1.02 million 10
2010s 822,430 718,200 915,900 10
2020s 669,100 660,600 692,000 5

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 35 United States 780,800 compare
  2. 36 Benin 731,100 compare
  3. 37 Nepal 719,300 compare
  4. 39 Burkina Faso 656,600 compare
  5. 40 Guinea 591,300 compare
  6. 41 Papua New Guinea 586,900 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Ghana?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Ghana was 661,900 in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 1.02 million in 2003.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 660,600 in 2023.
How does Ghana rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Ghana ranks 38th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,050 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The number of children younger than five who are stunted – significantly shorter than the average for their age, as a consequence of poor nutrition or repeated infection.