Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 91.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
be 54.2% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
be 76.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 82.7% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
have 66.5% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.
have 32.4% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 50.6% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
have 40.3% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 98.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.1% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 91.2% as of 2024. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.
be 13.6% more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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.
Expenditures
spend 51.7% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ghana spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 66.9% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 80.7% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Safety
be 95.8% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In South Africa, 37% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 83% as of 2019.
Infrastructure
live with 90.7% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 87.7% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.
use 82.6% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ghana uses 565 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 89.8% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 89.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.