Share of cereals allocated to human food in Ghana
Ghana: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 60.2% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Ghana, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 60.2% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 6.5% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Ghana peaked at 78.9% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 60.2%, in 2023.
That places Ghana 99th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 77.1% | — |
| 1962 | 77.0% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 76.8% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 78.9% | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 74.5% | -5.6% |
| 1966 | 68.0% | -8.8% |
| 1967 | 70.5% | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 73.2% | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 72.4% | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 68.6% | -5.3% |
| 1971 | 68.9% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 73.4% | +6.5% |
| 1973 | 73.2% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 70.1% | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 71.7% | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 77.0% | +7.5% |
| 1977 | 77.1% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 77.5% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 74.3% | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 72.3% | -2.8% |
| 1981 | 70.6% | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 69.8% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 77.2% | +10.7% |
| 1984 | 60.6% | -21.5% |
| 1985 | 66.9% | +10.3% |
| 1986 | 68.0% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 72.8% | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 67.5% | -7.2% |
| 1989 | 68.2% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 71.8% | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 69.1% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 72.2% | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 73.4% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 74.1% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 71.2% | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 69.0% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 69.8% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 69.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 72.1% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 73.4% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 75.8% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 67.3% | -11.2% |
| 2003 | 71.8% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 74.0% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 75.1% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 74.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 75.6% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 73.8% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 74.0% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 77.0% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 78.3% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 77.4% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 76.0% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 76.8% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 75.2% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 75.5% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 74.5% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 70.2% | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 62.9% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 65.7% | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 64.9% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 64.4% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 60.2% | -6.5% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 60.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.2%, 80% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 60.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 88.3%, 68% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 74.3% | 68.0% | 78.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 73.2% | 68.6% | 77.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 69.4% | 60.6% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.3% | 69.0% | 74.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.6% | 67.3% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.4% | 62.9% | 78.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.8% | 60.2% | 65.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food in Ghana?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Ghana was 60.2% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9% in 1964.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.2% in 2023.
- How does Ghana rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Ghana ranks 99th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.