Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside China 40 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 27 times as long as Ghana’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 7,964 m above Ghana’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 40 times as many people as Ghana.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Ghana: 35.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 3% more densely populated than China.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Ghana: 154 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 5.4 cm taller than in Ghana.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 4.6 cm taller than in Ghana.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 18 years older than in Ghana.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Ghana: 20.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 2.3 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Ghana: 3.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Ghana: 0.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and Ghana are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · Ghana: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 171 times the size of Ghana’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Ghana: $114 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 3.4 times as much per person as Ghana.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in China (Gini 7.5 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · Ghana: 43.5 (2016)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 3.0% in Ghana.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Ghana: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · Ghana: 0.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Ghana’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Ghana: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 11 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
China: $763 (2023) · Ghana: $70 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 12 years longer than in Ghana.
China: 78 years (2024) · Ghana: 65.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 6.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 12 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
14% of adults in Ghana are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · Ghana: 13.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
China: 22.8% (2024) · Ghana: 3.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 1.52 points higher than in Ghana.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Ghana: 4.55 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 42% more alcohol than in Ghana.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 4.2 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 402 kcal more food per person per day than Ghana.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 672 more hours a year than in Ghana.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 0.93 years longer than in Ghana.
China: 8 years (2023) · Ghana: 7.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 69% more tourists per resident than Ghana (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Ghana: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
China: 92% (2025) · Ghana: 72% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
China: 100% (2024) · Ghana: 91.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
China: 66% (2025) · Ghana: 59% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
China: 132 (2024) · Ghana: 114 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 116 times as long as Ghana’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Ghana: 947 km (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 35 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Ghana: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 35% of Ghana, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · Ghana: 35.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Ghana: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana.
China: 37% (2025) · Ghana: 36.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 11% more fine dust than in Ghana.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.6 times as likely to be murdered in Ghana as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 49% deadlier than in China.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 20.1 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 37% more rain than China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Ghana?
China is larger. Ghana fits inside China 40 times.
Which has more people, China or Ghana?
China has 40 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Ghana?
People in China live 12 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 65.7 in Ghana.
Are people taller in China or Ghana?
Men in China are 5.4 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
