Dr. Alhassan IddrisuÂ
Food insecurity prevalence rose from 35.3% in the first quarter of 2024 to 38.1% in the third quarter of 2025, after peaking at 41.1% in the second quarter of 2025, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has stated.
Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, made the revelation during the presenting of the Quarterly Food Insecurity Report (2024Q1 – 2025Q3) in Accra.
He noted that food insecurity in the country is volatile and responds quickly to economic conditions, seasonal patterns and food price movements.
“In population terms, the number of food insecure persons increased from 11.2 million in 2024 quarter one (Q1) to 13.4 million in 2025 quarter two (Q2), before declining to 12.5 million in quarter three (Q3),” he emphasised. “Between Q2 and Q3 of 2025 alone, the number reduced by 900,723 persons.”
According to the government statistician, food insecurity was consistently higher among female-headed households, peaking at 44.1%, compared to 38.7% among male-headed households.
The gender gap widened to 6.2 percentage points in quarter three with rural households more affected, with about 60% reporting worry about food, compared to 48% in urban areas.
He noted that, households with both children and elderly members recorded the highest food insecurity levels, averaging 44%. Households with malnourished children also recorded higher food insecurity rates.
“Among rural female-headed households with underweight children, food insecurity exceeded 80% in the third quarter of 2025,” he indicated.
“Households with no education recorded food insecurity rates of about 50%, while those with tertiary education recorded about 15%, showing that education reduces vulnerability,” he said.
Regional Figures
The Upper West Region recorded the highest food insecurity prevalence of 55.9%, followed by the Volta Region (50.1%) and the North East Region (45.9%).
“The Oti Region recorded the lowest prevalence, declining to 18.4% in Q3 of 2025. The gap between the highest and lowest regions widened to 37.5 percentage points,” he stated.
Comparatively, he mentioned that, Ghana’s food insecurity rate of 38.1% is lower than Nigeria (74.8%), Kenya (73.9%) and Ethiopia (61.4%), but higher than Egypt (30.8%), South Africa (20.7%) and Brazil (13.5%).
Dr. Iddrisu said the report supports Ghana’s national development agenda and Sustainable Development Goal Two (SDG 2), which seeks to end hunger, improve nutrition and promote sustainable food systems.
According to him, the objective of the report is to provide clear, timely and credible evidence to help government, businesses, communities and development partners make better decisions in the food security space.
Dr. Iddrisu explained that food insecurity was measured using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), which asks households eight questions about their food experiences over the last three months.
“These include worrying about food, eating less than required, skipping meals and going a whole day without eating. Using the Rasch Model, households were classified as food secure, moderately food insecure or severely food insecure. The data was drawn from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey,” he explained.
By Janet Odei Amponsah