Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside China 40 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Ghana: 238,539 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Ghana, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Ghana: 55.4% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
Ghana hosts 3,671 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Ghana: 0.6 per 1,000 (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 (2026) · Ghana: 0.3 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
China: 0% (2022) · Ghana: no data
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 0.5%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Ghana: 0.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ghana’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Ghana: 12.4% (2023)
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 many hospital beds are there?
China has 8.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Ghana
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Ghana: 0.7 per 1,000 (2015)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ghana is 2.2 times that in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Ghana: 17.2 per 100k (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)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 59 more World Heritage sites than Ghana (61 against 2)
China: 61 (2026) · Ghana: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Ghana 5
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Ghana: 5 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 4 times as fast as in Ghana
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Ghana: 92 Mbps (2026)
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 31% of Ghana, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Ghana: 30.9% (2024)
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 2.2 times as deadly as in China
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Ghana: 54.9 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
