Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 11.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
live 4.1 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.2 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $5,300 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 29.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 11.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2015. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 80.0% higher top tax rate
Ghana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 61.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 308.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 20.3% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2018. In South Africa, it is 95.0% as of 2019.
be 20.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 32.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 35.0% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 28.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 10.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (93% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 20.7% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 58.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 70.0% more on education
Ghana spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 5.2 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ghana Revenue Authority, South African Revenue Service.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.