Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 26.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 5.9 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 72.9% more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 54.2% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
be 68.2% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
be 10.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 44.4% 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 40.4% 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 Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
have 55.8% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.8% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 89.3% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.6% more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 31.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 27.0 times more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 15.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ghana, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Jamaica, that number is 70% as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 24.2 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
use 2.1 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
live with 96.2% more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.1 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.