The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed that the number of Ghanaians experiencing food insecurity rose by 7.3% between the first and fourth quarters of 2024, despite ongoing government efforts to tackle hunger and improve nutrition.
According to a press release issued on Thursday, October 16, 2025, the number of food-insecure Ghanaians increased from 12.4 million in the first quarter to 13.3 million in the final quarter of 2024. The GSS defines food insecurity as the lack of access to adequate and nutritious food necessary for an active and healthy life.
The report’s release coincides with this year’s World Food Day, observed under the theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future.” The GSS said the findings highlight that access to nutritious food remains a basic human right, and ending hunger requires collective and sustained action from all stakeholders.
Despite several government and private initiatives to improve food access, the data showed persistent inequalities across regions and gender groups, with some areas experiencing sharper declines than others.
The Volta Region recorded the highest food insecurity rate, rising slightly from 51.5% in the first quarter to 52% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The Greater Accra Region, while having the lowest rate, still saw a worrying jump from 20.2% to 29% over the same period.
These numbers, according to the GSS, show that food access challenges are nationwide and not confined to rural communities alone.
The report also revealed that female headed households remain more vulnerable to food insecurity than their male counterparts.
“The proportion of female-headed households that were food insecure increased from 40.4% in the first quarter to 44% in the fourth quarter,” the GSS stated. “Among male headed households, the rate rose from 32.4% to 37.1%.”
Officials said this gap reflects deep rooted gender inequalities in income, access to credit, and control over productive resources.
The GSS raised fresh concerns about child nutrition, warning that hunger is directly affecting children’s health outcomes. The proportion of households with underweight children under five years rose from 38% to 44.9% in 2024.
In contrast, the share of households with wasted children, a form of acute malnutrition, dropped slightly from 46.2% to 43.5%. According to the Service, these figures indicate persistent nutritional vulnerabilities among households with young children, even in regions with relatively higher food availability.
The report further showed that the number of Ghanaians who are both food insecure and multidimensionally poor increased by 400,000 people during the year. That number rose from 3.7 million in the first quarter to 4.1 million in the last quarter of 2024.
“This reinforces the need for integrated policy responses that address multiple deprivations such as income, health, education, and living standards simultaneously,” the GSS emphasized.
The GSS called for stronger, data driven policies to strengthen national food systems and ensure equitable access to nutrition. It also urged greater investment in smallholder farmers, climate-resilient agriculture, and targeted efforts to close the regional and gender gaps in food access.
“Food insecurity is not inevitable. With the right data, the right policies, and the right partnerships, every Ghanaian can have access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food. The time to act is now so that no table is left empty,” GSS stated.
The GSS said its findings underscore the urgency of Ghana’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger). The Service pledged to continue producing timely data to help government agencies, NGOs, and international partners design effective interventions to end hunger and improve nutrition nationwide.
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