Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ghana instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 91.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.7% of people as of 2020.

live 4.1 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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 61.5% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 89.0% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

pay a 44.4% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Ghana, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

make 53.1% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $6,700 as of 2023.

be 41.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

Life

have 55.9% more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Ghana, 263.0 women do as of 2020.

be 16.8% less likely to be literate

In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

be 26.0% more likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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.

Expenditures

spend 39.4% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Ghana spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 53.5% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 80.7% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 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, South African Revenue Service.

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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