Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside Ethiopia 4.7 times
Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024) · Ghana: 238,539 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 3,665 m above Ghana’s
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Ghana, versus 34% of Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024) · Ghana: 55.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 3.9 times as many people as Ghana
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Ghana: 35.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 28% more densely populated than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025) · Ghana: 154 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ghana are 1.5 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ghana are 1.7 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ghana is 2.2 years older than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Ghana: 20.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 0.6 more children on average than in Ghana
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Ghana and Ethiopia are practically level
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Ghana: 3.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ethiopia hosts 12 times as many refugees per resident as Ghana
Ethiopia: 7.5 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, Ethiopia 0.1
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026) · Ghana: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and Ghana are practically level
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Ghana: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ethiopia’s economy is 11% larger than Ghana’s
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Ghana: $114 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ghana produces 2.4 times as much per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Ethiopia (Gini 12.4 points higher)
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Ghana: 43.5 (2016)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021) · Ghana: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Ethiopia and Ghana are practically level
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Ghana: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Ethiopia and Ghana are practically level
Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025) · Ghana: 0.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ghana’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, Ethiopia’s 3.4%
Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024) · Ghana: 12.4% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Ghana’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Ghana: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ghana spends 2 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Ghana: $70 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 1.9 years longer than in Ghana
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Ghana: 65.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 25% more likely to die before turning one than in Ghana
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ghana has 86% more doctors per person than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Ghana has 2.1 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016) · Ghana: 0.7 per 1,000 (2015)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ghana is 19% higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Ghana: 17.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
14% of adults in Ghana are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Ghana: 13.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
5.2% of adults in Ethiopia smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Ghana: 3.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ghana rate their lives 0.57 points higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Ghana: 4.55 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ghana drink 14% more alcohol than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ghana has 2.5 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 567 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ghana put in 56 more hours a year than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ghana went to school 4.7 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Ghana: 7.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ghana welcomed 6.8 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019)
Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024) · Ghana: 0.03 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Ethiopia has 10 more World Heritage sites than Ghana (12 against 2)
Ethiopia: 12 (2026) · Ghana: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ethiopia has won 62 Olympic medals, Ghana 5
Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition) · Ghana: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
72% of people in Ghana are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Ghana: 72% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ghana is 4.3 times as fast as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026) · Ghana: 92 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
92% of people in Ghana have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Ghana: 91.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
59% of people in Ghana live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Ghana: 59% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ghana has 114 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Ghana: 114 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Ghana’s railway network is 26% longer than Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Ghana: 947 km (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana
Ethiopia: 0.11 (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 Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024) · Ghana: 30.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ghana emits 4.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Ghana: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Ghana: 36.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 40% more fine dust than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 2.3 times as deadly as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023) · Ghana: 54.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 4.0 °C warmer than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 16% more rain than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 962 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 Ethiopia bigger than Ghana?
Ethiopia is larger. Ghana fits inside Ethiopia 4.7 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Ghana?
Ethiopia has 3.9 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Ghana?
People in Ethiopia live 1.9 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 65.7 in Ghana.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Ghana?
Men in Ghana are 1.5 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
