Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 17.4 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 15.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 11.2 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 70.8% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 67.9% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 27.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 15.4 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 98.7% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.2% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 86.2% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 62.1% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% 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 (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.7% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 68.5% more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 62.3% less likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 77.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 61.9 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 27.1 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 239.3 times more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 21.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.1 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.