Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
live 17.9 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 42.5% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 21.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 9.8 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 85.4% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 38.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 11.1 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.3% 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 Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.1% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 91.6% 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 Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 81.9% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 35.6% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 11.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 85.9% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.5 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 73.8% less likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 73.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 22.5% 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 Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.4 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 20.1 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 13.5 times more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 78.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.2 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.