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

Health

live 16.7 years longer

In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Finland, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 27.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Finland spends $6,433 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 13.6 times more doctors per person

Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Finland has 36.1 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

have 79.2% more access to essential health services

Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Finland scores 86 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 66.3% more likely to be obese

In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Finland, that number is 24.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Finland, it is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 17.2 times more money

Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $56,149 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Finland, that number is 9.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 96.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 93.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Ghana, approximately 27.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Finland, on the other hand, 1.9 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 69.9% fewer children

In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Finland, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 11.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 29.8% more likely to have internet access

In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Finland, about 93.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 11.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Finland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on education

Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Finland spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 3.5 times more on healthcare

Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 10.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 2.3 times more coastline

Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 46.4% less likely to be murdered

Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 83.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Finland, they kill 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 55.3 times more home broadband

Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Finland has 36.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 26.2 times more electricity

Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Finland uses 14,819 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 12.7% more strain on fresh water

Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Finland withdraws 7% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 92.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Finland, it causes 7.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 7.9 times more CO2

Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Finland emits 5.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
Read more

How big is Finland compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Finland or Ghana. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.