Upper West, volta and North East Record Highest Food Insecurity as Ghana’s National Rate Falls to 38.1%
Governor of the Ghana Statistical Service Dr Alhassan Iddrisu.
Accra, Ghana- The Upper West, North East, Savannah, and Volta regions have the highest levels of food insecurity in Ghana, highlighting ongoing regional inequality even as national numbers improve slightly.
The latest Quarterly Food Insecurity Report (2024Q1–2025Q3), released by the Ghana Statistical Service, reveals that while food insecurity peaked at 41.1 percent in the second quarter of 2025, it declined to 38.1 percent in the third quarter. This marks a slight easing after months of steady increases. However, the report highlights a stark regional divide that persists beneath the national average.
By the third quarter of 2025, Upper West recorded the highest prevalence, with rates far exceeding the national average, while Oti and Greater Accra posted the lowest levels. In the Oti Region, food insecurity dropped from 23.8 percent in the first quarter to 18.4 percent by the third quarter, reflecting one of the sharpest improvements nationwide. The gap between Upper West and Oti alone stood at 37.5 percentage points in Q3, highlighting deep structural disparities.
The burden is even heavier for households with dependents. Families with both children and elderly members recorded an average food insecurity rate of 44 percent in 2025, higher than households with only children (40 percent), those without dependents (38 percent), and elderly-only households (32 percent). In the Volta Region, households with both elderly and children recorded a prevalence of 52.3 percent in Q3, reflecting heightened vulnerability among multi-generational families.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service, the experience of food insecurity reveals troubling patterns beyond geography and household structure. The most common experience reported nationwide was 'worry about food,' affecting about 53 percent of households. Rural households were significantly more affected per the report, with approximately 62 percent reporting food-related anxiety, compared to 47 percent in urban areas. Severe deprivation—such as going an entire day without eating—remained comparatively low at 3.1 percent in Q3 2025, but the persistence of widespread food worry signals chronic vulnerability rather than isolated shocks.
Gender disparities also remain evident in the Ghana Statistical Service’s findings. Female-headed households consistently recorded higher rates of moderate food insecurity than male-headed households, particularly in rural areas. While severe food insecurity declined nationally from 5.1 percent in Q2 to 4.6 percent in Q3 2025, according to the report, rural female-headed households remained disproportionately affected, with severe food insecurity peaking at 8.1 percent in Q2.
Education continues to emerge as a powerful protective factor. Households headed by individuals with no formal education recorded food insecurity rates of about 50 percent in Q2 and Q3 2025, while those headed by persons with tertiary education recorded the lowest levels, around 15 percent. Across all educational categories, women reported slightly higher rates than men, but the downward trend with higher educational attainment was consistent, reinforcing the long-term stabilizing role of education in food security outcomes.
The report also notes a modest increase in the number of persons who were simultaneously food insecure, multidimensionally poor, and unemployed. Between Q2 and Q3 2025, this “triple burden” group increased by 19,455 persons, representing a 9.4 percent rise. While not dramatic, the upward movement suggests that economic fragility remains closely tied to food vulnerability.
In response, Governor of the Ghana Statistical Service, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu recommends targeted, region-specific interventions rather than uniform national approaches. High-burden regions such as Upper West, North East, Savannah and Volta require tailored agricultural support, improved market access and nutrition-sensitive social protection programmes. Expanding education access and investing in child nutrition are also highlighted as long-term strategies to break cycles of vulnerability. The report further calls for stronger integration of labour, poverty, and nutrition data to improve early warning systems and policy responsiveness.
Despite the recent national decline, food insecurity continues to rise since early 2024. For many households, uncertainty about the next meal persists, underlining the ongoing severity of food insecurity in Ghana.
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