Share of men who are obese in Ghana
Ghana: Share of men who are obese was 4.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of men 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
In 2024, share of men who are obese in Ghana stood at 4.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in Ghana peaked at 4.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1980.
Ghana ranks 185th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of men who are obese in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.3% | — |
| 1981 | 0.3% | +10.2% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | +10.5% |
| 1983 | 0.4% | +10.7% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | +10.9% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +11.1% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +11.2% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | +11.4% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +11.4% |
| 1989 | 0.7% | +11.5% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | +11.6% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | +11.5% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +11.4% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +11.3% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +11.1% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +11.0% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +10.4% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | +10.1% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | +9.7% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +9.3% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | +8.2% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +2.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.5%, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.3%, 76% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 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 men who are obese in Ghana?
- Share of men who are obese in Ghana was 4.8% 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 men who are obese recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1980.
- How does Ghana rank for share of men who are obese?
- Ghana ranks 185th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. 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 men 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 as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.