Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.6 years less

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

be 39.6% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

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make 92.0% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $6,700 as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 26.6% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Ghana, about 68.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: California vs. Ghana

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Ghana is 61.5% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 1.7 times bigger than Ghana.
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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 California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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