Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 93.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 13.3 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 14.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 12.8 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 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. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 82.1% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 10.6 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.0% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.0% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 82.9% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 36.3% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 38.5% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 10.1% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.0% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 92.9% more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.9 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 48.6% less likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 28.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 66.8 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 21.1 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 154.4 times more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 26.4 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.