Food insecurity in Ghana remains volatile and unevenly distributed, affecting 12.5 million people as of the third quarter of 2025, despite a slight improvement earlier in the year, according to the latest Quarterly Food Insecurity Report released in Accra.
Presenting the findings, Government Statistician Professor Alhassan Iddrisu said the issue goes beyond welfare and poses a serious development risk.
“This release is important because food insecurity is not just a social issue,” he said. “It affects household welfare. It affects child health, labour productivity, business confidence, and national development.”
The report, covering the first quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025, draws on data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal Two on ending hunger and improving nutrition.
“Our goal for this release is very simple: to provide clear, timely, and credible evidence that helps stakeholders, including government, businesses, communities, and development partners, make better decisions in the food security space,” the Government Statistician noted.
National food insecurity prevalence rose from 35.3 per cent in early 2024 to 38.1 per cent by the third quarter of 2025, after peaking in the second quarter of 2025.
“This tells us something very important, that food insecurity in Ghana is volatile, and that it responds quickly to economic conditions, to seasonal patterns, as well as surprise movements,” Prof Iddrisu explained, adding that “despite the recent easing we have seen in food insecurity, the overall trend since the 2024 quarter one is upward, indicating rising vulnerability”.
In absolute numbers, food-insecure persons increased from 11.2 million in early 2024 to 13.4 million in the second quarter of 2025, then declined to 12.5 million.
“Just within one quarter, the number of food-insecure persons reduced by 900,723 persons from 13.4 million in quarter two to 12.5 million in quarter three,” he said.
However, he warned that the level remains concerning. “Given that in the third quarter of 2025, the number of people who are food insecure is 12.5 million people, that number is still very, very significant, and as a country, we have to do everything possible to ensure that that number is reduced to the very minimum.”
The Ghana Statistical Service measures food insecurity using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) aligned with SDG indicator 2.1.2.
“This approach asks households eight simple questions about their experiences over the last three months,” Prof Iddrisu said. “These questions include, ‘Did you worry about having enough food? Did you eat less than you should have? Did you skip meals? And did anyone go a whole day without eating?”
Households answering “no” to all questions are considered food secure, four to six “yes” responses indicate moderate food insecurity, while seven or eight indicate severe food insecurity.
The report shows persistent gender inequality. “From 2024 quarter one to 2025 quarter three, moderate food insecurity was consistently higher in female-headed households,” Prof Iddrisu said, noting the gap widened to 6.2 percentage points in the third quarter of 2025.
“This possibly reflects structural factors such as income differences between males and females, employment opportunities, and also caregiving responsibilities,” he added.
Regional disparities were among the strongest findings. The Upper West Region recorded 55.9 per cent, followed by Volta (50.1 per cent) and North East (45.9 per cent).
“If at the national level food insecurity prevalence rate is 38.1 per cent and you have a region like Upper West that records 55.9 per cent, then you know it is high compared to the national average,” the Government Statistician said.
By contrast, the Oti Region recorded 18.4 percent, widening the regional gap to 37.5 percentage points.
“This tells us that food insecurity in Ghana is deeply spatial, not evenly spread,” he stressed.
Rural households were more affected. “Nationally, about 53 per cent of households reported worrying about food in the third quarter of 2025,” Prof Iddrisu said.
“The problem is more severe in rural areas… about 60 per cent compared to 48 per cent in urban areas.”
Food insecurity averaged 44 per cent among households with both children and elderly members and was strongly linked to child nutrition.
“Nationally, households with malnourished children recorded food insecurity rates of around 44 per cent,” he said.
In rural female-headed households with underweight children, food insecurity “exceeded 80 per cent in the third quarter of 2025”.
“This is not just a food issue, it is a human capital issue with long-term implications for learning, productivity, and health,” Prof Iddrisu warned.
Education proved protective.
“Food insecurity declined steadily as educational attainment increased,” he said, with prevalence around 50 per cent among households without education compared with about 15 per cent for tertiary-educated households.
“Education matters a lot in addressing food insecurity issues,” he emphasised.
Severe food insecurity declined slightly from 5.1 per cent to 4.6 per cent nationally, though higher among rural female-headed households.
“Even when severe deprivation is relatively low, widespread moderate insecurity still affects daily life,” he cautioned.
The report also identified a “triple burden” of food insecurity, multidimensional poverty, and unemployment, with the number of affected persons increasing by 19,455 between the second and third quarters of 2025.
“Although the number is modest, it represents deep structural vulnerability,” the Government Statistician said.
It recommends targeted regional interventions, expanded social protection, job-linked food programmes, and investment in education and rural resilience.
Comparatively, he noted: “In 2023, for example, Nigeria’s food insecurity prevalence rate was 74.8 per cent, Kenya 73.9 per cent, Ethiopia 61.4 per cent,” he said.
“If you compare this to our 38.1 per cent… I think Ghana is doing pretty well.”
However, he added that countries such as Egypt, South Africa, and Brazil perform better.
