Ghana’s food insecurity levels saw a sharp escalation through the first half of 2025 before recording a modest decline in the third quarter, according to the latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Government Statistician Alhassan Iddrisu reported that the prevalence of food insecurity peaked at 41.1% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 35.3% at the start of 2024. While the rate retreated to 38.1% in the third quarter of 2025, the overall trajectory remains higher than previous years, leaving approximately 12.5 million people vulnerable.
The report shows a deepening “triple burden” of economic hardship, as the number of Ghanaians simultaneously facing food insecurity, multidimensional poverty, and unemployment rose by 9.4% between the second and third quarters of 2025.
The GSS data also shows a persistent and widening gap between rural and urban populations, as well as significant gender disparities. Rural areas continue to bear the brunt of the crisis, with a 44.4% food insecurity rate in Q3 2025, compared to 32.5% in urban centers.
Households headed by women are consistently more vulnerable. In the first half of 2025, food insecurity among female-headed households reached 44.1%, significantly higher than the 38.7% recorded for male-headed households.
The Upper West, North East, and Volta regions recorded the highest levels of insecurity. Conversely, the Oti region saw a marked improvement, with rates dropping from 23.8% to 18.4% over the same period.
The report identifies a direct correlation between education and food stability. Households headed by individuals with no formal education faced a 50% insecurity rate, while that figure dropped to 15% for those with tertiary education.
More alarming are the findings regarding child health. Food insecurity among households with malnourished children averaged 44% nationally. In rural areas, female-headed households with underweight children faced extreme deprivation, with insecurity rates exceeding 80% in the third quarter of 2025.
The GSS is however urging government and development partners to move away from “one-size-fits-all” interventions. Their recommendations include, focusing social protection and market-access solutions on high-burden regions like the Upper West and North East.
Integrating food security programs with job creation, youth employment, and climate resilience initiatives. Expanding the use of high-frequency data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey to monitor risks in real-time.
Despite the slight decline in the third quarter, the GSS warns that the high prevalence of households “worrying about food”, currently 53% nationally, indicates that millions of Ghanaians remain on the brink of severe deprivation.
