Share of men who are overweight or obese in Ghana

Ghana: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 21.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
21.7%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
179th
of 199 countries
All-time high
21.7%
in 2024
All-time low
3.1%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men who are overweight or obese in Ghana, 1980–2024

51015201980200220241980: 3.1 %1981: 3.3 %1982: 3.6 %1983: 3.9 %1984: 4.2 %1985: 4.5 %1986: 4.8 %1987: 5.2 %1988: 5.6 %1989: 6 %1990: 6.4 %1991: 6.9 %1992: 7.5 %1993: 8 %1994: 8.6 %1995: 9.2 %1996: 9.9 %1997: 10.6 %1998: 11.3 %1999: 12.1 %2000: 12.9 %2001: 13.7 %2002: 14.5 %2003: 15.3 %2004: 16.1 %2005: 16.9 %2006: 17.7 %2007: 18.3 %2008: 18.9 %2009: 19.4 %2010: 19.8 %2011: 20 %2012: 20.3 %2013: 20.5 %2014: 20.6 %2015: 20.7 %2016: 20.9 %2017: 21 %2018: 21.1 %2019: 21.2 %2020: 21.3 %2021: 21.4 %2022: 21.5 %2023: 21.6 %2024: 21.7 %

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 overweight or obese in Ghana stood at 21.7%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in Ghana peaked at 21.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1980.

Ghana ranks 179th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.4% 3.1% 6.0% 10
1990s 9.1% 6.4% 12.1% 10
2000s 16.4% 12.9% 19.4% 10
2010s 20.6% 19.8% 21.2% 10
2020s 21.5% 21.3% 21.7% 5

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 176 Senegal 22.2% compare
  2. 177 Guinea 22.0% compare
  3. 178 Zambia 21.8% compare
  4. 180 Congo 21.5% compare
  5. 181 Somalia 21.5% compare
  6. 182 Gambia 21.4% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are overweight or obese in Ghana?
Share of men who are overweight or obese in Ghana was 21.7% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1980.
How does Ghana rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
Ghana ranks 179th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 overweight or 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

Indicator
Share of men who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
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
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in metres squared.