Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Ghana
Ghana: Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female was 19.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Ghana, 1988–2022
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 19.4% for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Ghana peaked at 38.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 19.4%, in 2022.
Ghana ranks 46th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 35.4% | — |
| 1993 | 36.2% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 37.3% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 33.7% | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 38.4% | +13.9% |
| 2006 | 29.7% | -22.7% |
| 2008 | 30.1% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | -15.9% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | -19.4% |
| 2017 | 19.5% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 35.4% | 35.4% | 35.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 35.7% | 33.7% | 37.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 32.7% | 29.7% | 38.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 19.5% | 25.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 19.4% | 19.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More gender data for Ghana
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 12,710 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.3902 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 428,908 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 442,748 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 424,540 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 437,618 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 420,712 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 433,463 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 417,006 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 429,268 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Ghana?
- Malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Ghana was 19.4% in 2022, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.4% in 2022.
- How does Ghana rank for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female?
- Ghana ranks 46th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children younger than 5 years, male versus female, that fall below two standard deviations from the median height-for-age of the WHO Child Growth Standards.