Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ghana instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:

Health

be 48.8% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

be 88.9% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Papua New Guinea, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.7% of people as of 2020.

Economy

make 59.5% more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $4,200 as of 2023, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $6,700 as of 2023.

be 36.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

pay a 40.5% lower top tax rate

Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In Ghana, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

be 16.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

Life

be 23.1% more likely to be literate

In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 64.2% as of 2015. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

be 37.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ghana, 263.0 women do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 4.5 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 19% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 14% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ghana, about 68.0% do as of 2021.

be 94.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access (86% in urban areas, and 42% 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 2.9 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ghana spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 60.0% more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 89.5% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ghana Revenue Authority, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

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 Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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