If you lived in Ghana instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:

Health

be 31.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 1.4 years longer

In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 29.7% more access to essential health services

Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 30.6% less likely to die by suicide

Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 14.5% more likely to be obese

In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 2.9 times more money

Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.

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be 11.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 53.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 19.6% more likely to be literate

In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.

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be 34.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ghana, on the other hand, 27.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 12.3% fewer children

In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.2 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.

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be 45.5% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 66.6% less on healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 54.0% more coastline

Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.

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Safety

be 15.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 69.2% more home broadband

Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.

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live with 4.2 times more strain on fresh water

Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 4.4 times more CO2

Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Ghana: At a glance

Ghana is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 227,533 sq km. Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state, but he died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election.
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