Ghana: Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Ghana's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 3 percentage points on 2022 (from 41% to 44%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −2.18 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 42.18 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 79 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 77 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 21% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Ghana had the 26th highest value of the 43 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ghana in the 2023 ranking

• Central African Republic — 23rd of 43: 76%
• Guinea-Bissau — 24th of 43: 73%
• Namibia — 25th of 43: 58%
• South Africa — 27th of 43: 41%
• Uganda — 28th of 43: 38%
• Zimbabwe — 29th of 43: 37%

What this measures

Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate refers to the percentage of children ages 6-59 months old receiving two high-dose vitamin A supplements in a calendar year.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 24 values

Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) in nearby economies

• Angola — 7% (2020)
• Benin — 7% (2023)
• Botswana — 0% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 99% (2023)
• Burundi — 77% (2023)
• Cameroon — 94% (2023)
• Central African Republic — 76% (2023)
• Chad — 95% (2023)
• Comoros

More health data for Ghana

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 11.99% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 12.39% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 6.13 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 34.94% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 6.29 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 35.92% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 12.42 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 35.43% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 11.63% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ghana's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months)?

44% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 45 percentage points from 89% in 2000. The highest value was 99% in 2001 and the lowest 17% in 2012.

How does Ghana rank?

26th highest of 43 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) unusual for Ghana?

In 2023, Ghana's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 3 percentage points on 2022 (from 41% to 44%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −2.18 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 42.18 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SN.ITK.VITA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNICEF Global Databases, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/vitamin-a-deficiency/, note: based on administrative reports from countries Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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