A significant 47.4 percent of children aged 0 to 5 months in Ghana were not exclusively breastfed, according to the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS).
The survey also highlights that the percentage of children under 6 months who are not exclusively breastfed has remained largely unchanged over the past 20 years, with a slight increase of 0.8 percentage points from 46.6% in 2003 to 47.4% in 2022.
Additionally, the survey reveals that 41.8% of children born in the two years leading up to the 2022 GDHS did not begin breastfeeding within the first hour of life. The report, released by the Ghana Statistical Service in observance of World Breastfeeding Week, notes that over half of the children in Greater Accra (56.2%), Ahafo (56.1%), and Eastern (51.7%) regions did not start breastfeeding within the first hour. In contrast, Bono East (29.4%) and Volta (31.6%) regions had the lowest percentages.
World Breastfeeding Week, observed annually in the first week of August, aims to emphasize the importance of breastfeeding and promote access to support. The theme for 2024 is “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All.”
