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

Health

be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 18.3 years longer

In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 21.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 15.8 times more doctors per person

Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 75.0% more access to essential health services

Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 31.4% more likely to die by suicide

Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 13.3 times more money

Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.4% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 29.9% more likely to be literate

In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 91.6% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 75.7% fewer children

In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 23.6% more likely to have internet access

In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 11.1% 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 Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 39.9% more on education

Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.9 times more on healthcare

Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 14.1 times more coastline

Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 68.9% less likely to be murdered

Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 80.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 26.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Ghana, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Italy, that number is 61% as of 2016.

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Infrastructure

find 48.2 times more home broadband

Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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use 9.1 times more electricity

Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 4.7 times more strain on fresh water

Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 83.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 7.3 times more CO2

Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2016–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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