The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has released six new district-level reports drawn from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), alongside a thematic brief from the 2024 Reproductive Health Commodities and Services Survey (RHCSS), shedding light on deep health and nutrition inequalities across the country.
The reports were unveiled on Monday, December 22, 2025, at the British Council Hall in Accra by the Acting Government Statistician, Alhaji Omar Seidu, on behalf of the Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu.
Addressing stakeholders, Mr Seidu said the release marked the second batch of district-level reports, following an earlier launch on November 25, 2025. He noted that the new data is intended to support local-level planning and decision-making.
“Your presence here today is not merely ceremonial; rather, it reflects our shared commitment to evidence-based planning and informed decision-making,” he said.
Filling a long-standing data gap
The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey has, since 1988, served as the country’s most authoritative source of data on population health, informing policies on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition and HIV prevention.
However, Mr Seidu acknowledged that the survey’s national scope has historically limited its usefulness for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
“The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, like many sample surveys, does not provide district-level estimates. This limitation has long constrained MMDAs and District Health Directorates,” he said.
To address this, GSS applied Small Area Estimation techniques, combining data from the 2022 GDHS with the 2021 Population and Housing Census to generate district-level indicators for all 261 MMDAs.
Six thematic reports released
The six newly released reports focus on birth registration, the double burden of malnutrition, disposal of children’s stools, unmet need for family planning among women in union, handwashing and water treatment, and excessive alcohol consumption among men.
According to Mr Seidu, the district-level approach makes it possible to identify disparities that national averages often conceal.
“These reports uncover inequalities that are often hidden when data is presented only at the national level,” he said.
Northern Ghana worst hit by malnutrition
Using the double burden of malnutrition as an example, the Acting Government Statistician painted a stark picture of regional differences.
“In the Northern Region, districts such as Tolon at 25.7 percent, Mion at 24.3 percent and Saboba at 23.5 percent record rates more than twice the national average of 11.7 percent,” he noted.
He added that districts in the North East Region, including Yunyoo-Nasuan and East Mamprusi, also face severe challenges linked to food insecurity and limited access to health services.
By contrast, districts in the Greater Accra Region recorded the lowest levels of the double burden of malnutrition, with La Dade-Kotopon, Adentan and Accra Metropolitan all below four percent.
“These outcomes show the benefits of better access to health services, more diverse diets and improved infrastructure,” Mr Seidu said.
Gaps in reproductive health services
The event also saw the release of the 2024 RHCSS thematic brief, based on assessments of 847 health facilities nationwide.
The survey found that while 91 percent of facilities offer at least three modern contraceptive methods, only 56 percent provide the five methods recommended by the Ghana Health Service.
Rural facilities were worse off, with just 46 percent meeting the recommended standard.
On essential maternal and reproductive health medicines, national availability stood at 74 percent, but the gap between urban and rural areas was wide. While urban facilities recorded availability of over 90 percent, rural facilities averaged about 54 percent.
“The Savannah, North East and Western North regions reported much higher levels of unavailability compared to Greater Accra and Ashanti,” Mr Seidu said.
He called for urgent steps to strengthen supply chains, particularly in rural areas, including regional distribution hubs, mobile delivery units and solar-powered refrigeration for clinics.
“We cannot afford to leave rural Ghana behind,” he said.
Mr Seidu also warned that sustaining the production of detailed health data would require new funding sources, as global funding for demographic and health surveys has declined.
“About 90 low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana, now need to look for alternative funding sources to continue with this programme,” he said, urging government, development partners and the private sector to invest in national data systems.
He noted that the district-level reports place “actionable evidence directly in the hands of MMDAs and District Health Directorates” and expressed appreciation to partners including UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, KOICA, FCDO, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service.
“Together, we can ensure that every district has the information it needs to improve lives,” he said.
