Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside Iran 7.3 times
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 4.5 times as long as Ghana’s
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 4,740 m above Ghana’s
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Ghana, versus 29% of Iran
Ghana: 55.4% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 2.6 times as many people as Ghana
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 2.7 times as densely populated as Iran
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 5.3 cm taller than in Ghana
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 2.3 cm taller than in Ghana
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 12 years older than in Ghana
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.7 more children on average than in Iran
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 14 times as many refugees per resident as Ghana
Ghana: 0.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ghana 0.3
Ghana: 0.3 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ghana and Iran are practically level
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 3.2 times the size of Ghana’s
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 2.3 times as much per person as Ghana
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Iran (Gini 7.6 points higher)
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ghana: no data · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.0% in Ghana
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.5%
Ghana: 0.5% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ghana: 12.4% (2023) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Ghana’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Iran’s
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as Ghana
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 12 years longer than in Ghana
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 2.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 6.8 times as many doctors per person as Ghana
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 2.7 times as many hospital beds per person as Ghana
Ghana: 0.7 per 1,000 (2015) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ghana is 2.9 times that in Iran
Ghana: 17.2 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 14% in Ghana
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.60 points higher than in Ghana
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ghana drink 125 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 72% more meat per person than Ghana
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 250 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 590 more hours a year than in Ghana
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 3.7 years longer than in Ghana
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 28 more World Heritage sites than Ghana (30 against 2)
Ghana: 2 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Ghana 5
Ghana: 5 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 72% in Ghana
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Ghana: 92 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 10 times as long as Ghana’s
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of Ghana, but only 6.6% of Iran
Ghana: 30.9% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
36% of Ghana’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 34% more fine dust than in Ghana
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 30% more likely to be murdered in Iran than in Ghana
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 90% deadlier than in Iran
Ghana: 54.9 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 8.7 °C warmer than Iran
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 4.1 times as much rain as Iran
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Ghana fits inside Iran 7.3 times.
Which has more people, Ghana or Iran?
Iran has 2.6 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Iran?
People in Iran live 12 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Ghana or Iran?
Men in Iran are 5.3 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
