Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
have 14.6% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 6.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 2.6 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 56.0% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 48.9% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
be 63.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
Life
be 17.3% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
have 15.3% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 53.0% more 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.7% less 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 42.3% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 25.3% less 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.9% less on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.7 times more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 15.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 7.3 times more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
use 10.8% less electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 37.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.0% more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.