Share of overweight men vs. women in Ghana
Ghana: Share of overweight men vs. women was 21.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of overweight men vs. women 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 overweight men vs. women 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 overweight men vs. women in Ghana peaked at 21.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1980.
That places Ghana 179th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of overweight men vs. women in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.1% | — |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +7.4% |
| 1982 | 3.6% | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 3.9% | +7.5% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 4.5% | +7.6% |
| 1986 | 4.8% | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 5.2% | +7.6% |
| 1988 | 5.6% | +7.6% |
| 1989 | 6.0% | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 6.4% | +7.6% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | +7.6% |
| 1992 | 7.5% | +7.6% |
| 1993 | 8.0% | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 8.6% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 9.2% | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 9.9% | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | +7.0% |
| 1998 | 11.3% | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 12.1% | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 12.9% | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 13.7% | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 14.5% | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 15.3% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 16.9% | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 17.7% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 18.9% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 19.4% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 19.8% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 20.0% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 20.5% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 20.6% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 20.7% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 20.9% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 21.0% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 21.1% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 21.2% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 21.4% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 21.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 21.6% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 21.7% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 share of overweight men vs. women in Ghana?
- Share of overweight men vs. women 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 overweight men vs. women recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of overweight men vs. women recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1980.
- How does Ghana rank for share of overweight men vs. women?
- Ghana ranks 179th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of overweight men vs. women 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 overweight men vs. women. 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
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 meters squared.