Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
see 5.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 47.9% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 11.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.0 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 10.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 49.6% 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.2% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 91.2% as of 2024.
be 12.0% 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
have 28.7% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
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.
Safety
be 23.9 times more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 55.3% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ghana, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 37% as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 8.1 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 5.7 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 10.7 times more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 47.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.8 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.