Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ghana instead of Burkina Faso, you would:

Health

live 5.9 years longer

In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Burkina Faso, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.7% of people as of 2020.

be 94.6% more likely to be obese

In Burkina Faso, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.7 times more money

Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2023, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $6,700 as of 2023.

be 41.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Burkina Faso, 5.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

be 45.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

Life

be 71.7% more likely to be literate

In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 46.0% as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

be 34.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Burkina Faso, approximately 49.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Ghana, on the other hand, 32.6 children do as of 2022.

have 13.5% fewer children

In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 4.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Burkina Faso, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (68% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 85% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Burkina Faso, approximately 22.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ghana, about 68.0% do as of 2021.

be 17.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Burkina Faso, approximately 78% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 92% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 27.3% less on education

Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ghana spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 40.3% less on healthcare

Burkina Faso spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Ghana: At a glance

Ghana is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 227,533 sq km. Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state, but he died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election.
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How big is Ghana compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.

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