Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 79.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.7% of people as of 2020.

live 3.1 years less

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 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 87.9% more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.9 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $6,700 as of 2023.

be 38.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

be 53.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malawi, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

pay a 16.7% lower top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Ghana, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 31.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 381.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ghana, 263.0 women do as of 2020.

be 17.4% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

Basic Needs

be 6.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 14% of people have electricity access (54% in urban areas, and 6% 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 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ghana, about 68.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 25.9% less on healthcare

Malawi spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 37.9% more on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ghana spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Ghana Revenue Authority.

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 Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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