Share of adults who are obese in Ghana
Ghana: Share of adults who are obese was 13.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in Ghana, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 13.8% for share of adults who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Ghana peaked at 13.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1980.
That places Ghana 147th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.4% | — |
| 1981 | 1.4% | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 1.5% | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 1.6% | +6.3% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | +6.5% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 2.0% | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | +6.7% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | +6.7% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | +6.8% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +6.9% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | +6.9% |
| 1992 | 2.9% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | +7.2% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 3.9% | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | +7.4% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 5.1% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 5.5% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 5.8% | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 6.9% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 7.3% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 8.0% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 8.5% | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 8.8% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 9.1% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 9.7% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 10.0% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 12.4% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 12.9% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 13.3% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 13.8% | +3.4% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 13.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 13.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 2.6% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 5.1% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.9% | 8.5% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 12.0% | 13.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
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 adults who are obese in Ghana?
- Share of adults who are obese in Ghana was 13.8% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults who are obese recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 13.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1980.
- How does Ghana rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Ghana ranks 147th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.