Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ghana instead of Mauritania, you would:

Health

live 4.2 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

be 14.2% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

be 5.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Mauritania, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.7% of people as of 2020.

Economy

be 24.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

pay a 37.5% lower top tax rate

Mauritania has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Ghana, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

be 16.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Ghana, that number is 11.9% as of 2015.

Life

be 59.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 766.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Ghana, 308.0 women do as of 2017.

be 47.7% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 53.5% as of 2017. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

be 36.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Ghana, on the other hand, 32.6 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 2.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 4% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Ghana, that number is 85% of people on average (93% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2019.

be 41.5% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 41.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Ghana, about 58.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.1 times more on education

Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Ghana spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

Geography

see 28.5% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority.

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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How big is Ghana compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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