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 revealed that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months has remained relatively unchanged over the past two decades, with only a slight increase of 0.8 percentage points from 46.6% in 2003 to 47.4% in 2022.
Additionally, the survey highlighted that 41.8 percent of children born in the two years prior to the 2022 GDHS did not begin breastfeeding within the first hour of life. The regions with the highest percentages of children not starting breastfeeding within the first hour were Greater Accra (56.2%), Ahafo (56.1%), and Eastern (51.7%). In contrast, Bono East had the lowest percentage at 29.4%, followed by Volta at 31.6%.
These findings were released by the Ghana Statistical Service in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week, which is celebrated annually during the first week of August. The 2024 theme, “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All,” emphasizes the importance of providing breastfeeding support and resources to ensure all mothers have the opportunity to exclusively breastfeed their children.