Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ghana
Ghana: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 9.4 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ghana, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 9.4 percent for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.6% on the previous year and up 84.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ghana peaked at 9.4 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.1 percent, in 2015.
That places Ghana 40th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ghana, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5.1 percent | — |
| 2016 | 6 percent | +17.6% |
| 2017 | 6.9 percent | +15.0% |
| 2018 | 6.2 percent | -10.1% |
| 2019 | 6 percent | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 5.6 percent | -6.7% |
| 2021 | 7 percent | +25.0% |
| 2022 | 8.2 percent | +17.1% |
| 2023 | 9.4 percent | +14.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 9.4 percent is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1 percent, 93% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 9.4 percent is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 51% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.04 percent | 5.1 percent | 6.9 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 7.55 percent | 5.6 percent | 9.4 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 38 Togo 9.9 percent compare
- 39 Tunisia 9.6 percent compare
- 41 Guinea-Bissau 9 percent compare
- 42 South Africa 8.5 percent compare
- 43 Albania 8.4 percent compare
- 43 Cote d'Ivoire 8.4 percent compare
More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ghana?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Ghana was 9.4 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 9.4 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1 percent in 2015.
- How does Ghana rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Ghana ranks 40th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 84.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.