Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Nigeria instead of Ghana, you would:

Health

be 23.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Ghana, 1.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2020.

be 18.3% less likely to be obese

In Ghana, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Nigeria, that number is 8.9% of people as of 2016.

live 8.0 years less

In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Nigeria, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 71.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Nigeria, however, that number is 40.1% as of 2018.

Life

be 82.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Ghana, approximately 263.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Nigeria, 47.0 women do as of 2020.

have 22.5% more children

In Ghana, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nigeria, there are 33.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 21.5% less likely to be literate

In Ghana, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2018. In Nigeria, it is 62.0% as of 2018.

be 73.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Ghana, approximately 32.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Nigeria, on the other hand, 56.7 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 30.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Ghana, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Nigeria, that number is 60% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 19.1% less likely to have internet access

In Ghana, approximately 68.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nigeria, about 55.0% do as of 2021.

be 10.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Ghana, approximately 92% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 83% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 87.2% less on education

Ghana spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Nigeria spends 0.5% of total GDP on education as of 2013.

spend 15.0% less on healthcare

Ghana spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 58.3% more coastline

Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Nigeria, that number is 853 km.

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

Nigeria: At a glance

Nigeria is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 910,768 sq km. British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history and the elections of 2011 were generally regarded as credible. In January 2014, Nigeria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
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How big is Nigeria compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.

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