Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ghana instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 2.4 years less

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 60.3% more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ghana, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.1 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $5,300 as of 2020.

be 53.5% less likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 25.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2013. In Ghana, that number is 11.9% as of 2015.

Life

have 2.0 times more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Ghana, there are 28.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 89.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Ghana, 308.0 women do as of 2017.

be 21.0% less likely to be literate

In North Korea, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2015. In Ghana, it is 79.0% as of 2018.

be 46.7% more likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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 3.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 26% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.

Geography

see 78.4% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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