Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
have 77.8% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
be 33.2% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 84.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 4.9 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
be 58.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.3% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.
be 58.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
have 38.8% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.
be 19.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% 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.
Expenditures
spend 21.1% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.2% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Safety
be 28.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 74.3% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.