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

Health

be 55.9% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 91.5% more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.

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be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.9 years less

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 82.5% fewer doctors per person

Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.

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have 25.0% less access to essential health services

Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.

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be 9.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 78.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.

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be 71.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.

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make 3.1 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.

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Life

have 11.9% more children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 11.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 19.0% less likely to be literate

In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.

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be 55.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 17.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 54.9% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 2.8 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.

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Safety

be 13.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 94.9% less strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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find 90.4% less home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.

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use 33.8% less electricity

Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ghana uses 565 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 44.9% less CO2

Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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 Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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