Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 84.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
be 25.4% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 0.8 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 25.6% more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
have 17.9% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.
have 14.3% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 34.6 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.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
have 20.8% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 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 75.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 4.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.
be 22.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 58% 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 28.5% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ghana spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 50.7% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 51.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.5% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 22.3% less electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ghana uses 565 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 78.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.6% more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 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), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.