Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 69.5% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 18.4 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
see 95.6% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
have 90.0% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.
have 42.2% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 45.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.
make 90.9% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.5 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 78.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 10.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Japan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
be 15.6% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.9% less on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Ghana spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 72.5% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.2% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Safety
be 8.0 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 9.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.8% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 98.3% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.
use 92.5% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ghana uses 565 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 91.1% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2013), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.