Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside Ethiopia 4.8 times.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023)
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)
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: 120 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 Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · Ghana: 0.3 (2025)
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 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: 0.7% (2024) · Ghana: 0.4% (2024)
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 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 (2024) · Ghana: 0.03 (2022)
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)
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 35% of Ghana, but only 15% of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · Ghana: 35.2% (2023)
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 46% deadlier than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021)
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)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than Ghana?
Ethiopia is larger. Ghana fits inside Ethiopia 4.8 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).
