Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq is 82% bigger than Ghana
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ghana’s coastline is 9.3 times as long as Iraq’s
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 2,726 m above Ghana’s
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Ghana, versus 22% of Iraq
Ghana: 55.4% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 34% more people than Ghana
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 42% more densely populated than Iraq
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 3.5 cm taller than in Ghana
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Ghana and Iraq are practically level
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ghana is 0.59 years older than in Iraq
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 0.1 more children on average than in Iraq
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Ghana and Iraq are practically level
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 11 times as many refugees per resident as Ghana
Ghana: 0.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Ghana: 0.3 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Ghana 1
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iraq’s economy is 2.2 times the size of Ghana’s
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iraq produces 66% more per person than Ghana
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Iraq (Gini 13.7 points higher)
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ghana: no data · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 3.0% in Ghana
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.5%
Ghana: 0.5% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ghana’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Ghana: 12.4% (2023) · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
Iraq and Ghana are nearly identical here
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 4.7 times as much on health per person as Ghana
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iraq live 6.7 years longer than in Ghana
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 37% more likely to die before turning one than in Iraq
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iraq has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as Ghana
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iraq has 54% more hospital beds per person than Ghana
Ghana: 0.7 per 1,000 (2015) · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ghana is 3.4 times that in Iraq
Ghana: 17.2 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 14% in Ghana
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 0.66 points higher than in Ghana
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ghana drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iraq has 21% more meat per person than Ghana
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 754 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ghana put in 72 more hours a year than in Iraq
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ghana went to school 0.33 years longer than in Iraq
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Iraq: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq has 4 more World Heritage sites than Ghana (6 against 2)
Ghana: 2 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ghana has won 5 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Ghana: 5 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Iraq are online, versus 72% in Ghana
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ghana is 48% faster than in Iraq
Ghana: 92 Mbps (2026) · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iraq have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ghana has 114 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iraq’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Ghana’s
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iraq fly 6.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of Ghana, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Ghana: 30.9% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 8.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
36% of Ghana’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 73% more fine dust than in Ghana
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Iraq: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 74% deadlier than in Iraq
Ghana: 54.9 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 4.1 °C warmer than Iraq
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 5.2 times as much rain as Iraq
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Iraq?
Iraq is larger. Iraq is 82% bigger than Ghana.
Which has more people, Ghana or Iraq?
Iraq has 34% more people than Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Iraq?
People in Iraq live 6.7 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in Ghana or Iraq?
Men in Iraq are 3.5 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
