Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 46.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.
be 21.8% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.0 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 55.7% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
have 29.3% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mali scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
make 63.4% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
have 52.5% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 56.8% more 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 Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.4% less likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Mali, it is 35.6% as of 2024.
be 72.7% more 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 Mali, on the other hand, 47.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.1% less 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 Mali, that number is 54% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 49.0% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.6% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 29.2% more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.7% more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
live with 26.8% more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 27.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 57.1% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.