One in five Ghanaians has elevated blood pressure, Health Ministry says

One in every five Ghanaians has elevated blood pressure, according to the Ministry of Health, raising concerns about the country’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

A 2023 national survey found that 20% of the population had elevated blood pressure, with the condition more prevalent among women than men.

Separate ministry data showed that reported hypertension cases increased from 549,527 in 2023 to 583,720 in 2024. The figure declined slightly to 577,374 in 2025 but remained higher than the level recorded two years earlier.

Poorly controlled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, increasing healthcare costs and placing financial pressure on patients and their families.

“At least 20% of people had elevated blood pressure, so if you take five people, you will get one person who has high blood pressure,” the ministry’s acting Head of Public Health, Dr Mavis Sakyi, said.

“Among this population, we saw that there were more women who had high blood pressure,” she added.

Dr Sakyi was speaking at a stakeholder dialogue in Accra on low and no-calorie sweeteners, nutrition and Ghana’s food policy environment.

She called for stronger preventive measures, including healthier diets, regular health checks and greater physical activity, to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and their complications.

Dr Sakyi identified diets high in salt and sugar, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity as major factors driving the rise in such diseases.

She said changing lifestyles and food environments were exposing more people to those risks, while the low consumption of fruits and vegetables was worsening the problem.

According to the national survey she cited, Ghanaians consumed fruit on average only two days a week.

Call for Ghana-specific food policies

The roundtable also examined the possible role of low and no-calorie sweeteners in promoting healthier diets and reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases.

Dr Sakyi said Ghana should not rely solely on international guidelines when determining acceptable intake levels for sweeteners.

She said policymakers should also consider local dietary habits, product composition, consumer behaviour, national standards and available scientific evidence.

Such an approach, she argued, would help Ghana establish appropriate limits while ensuring that its food policies supported efforts to prevent non-communicable diseases.

The dialogue was organised by the Association of Ghana Industries in partnership with the International Sweeteners Association. It brought together government institutions, health professionals, consumer organisations and representatives of the food and beverage industry.

Threat to households and businesses

Association of Ghana Industries President Kofi Nsiah-Poku warned that rising levels of obesity and non-communicable diseases could have consequences beyond the health sector.

He said increased medical expenses, reduced participation in the labour force and lower productivity could impose significant costs on households, businesses and the wider Ghanaian economy.

Mr Nsiah-Poku, who is also chief executive of Kinapharma, said the growing health burden should therefore be treated as an economic and development priority.

International Sweeteners Association Director-General Laurent Oger called for public health policies to be guided by scientific evidence.

The ministry has not provided, a breakdown of hypertension prevalence by age, region or the percentage of diagnosed patients whose blood pressure is under control.