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

Health

live 8.0 years longer

In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 63 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 30.8% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

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

be 22.5% more likely to be obese

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

Economy

make 17.5% more money

Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $5,700 as of 2023, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $6,700 as of 2023.

be 41.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

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

Life

be 27.4% more likely to be literate

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

be 42.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Nigeria, approximately 56.7 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.

be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

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

have 18.3% fewer children

In Nigeria, there are approximately 33.8 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 40.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Nigeria, approximately 60% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 26% 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 23.6% more likely to have internet access

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

be 11.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Nigeria, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 69% 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 8.0 times more on education

Nigeria spends 0.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2013. Ghana spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 17.6% more on healthcare

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

Geography

see 36.8% less coastline

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


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 Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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