Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Italy is 27% bigger than Ghana.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Italy: 302,070 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 14 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 3,863 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 68% more people than Ghana.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Italy: 58.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 29% more densely populated than Ghana.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Italy: 199 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Italy are 4.1 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Italy: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Italy are 2.9 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Italy: 161.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 27 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Italy: 47.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 2.2 more children on average than in Italy.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Italy: 25.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ghana 0.3.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Italy: 3.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ghana and Italy are practically level.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Italy: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 22 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 7.3 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Italy: Int$62,803 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Italy (Gini 9.2 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Italy: 34.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 3.0% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Italy: 6.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Italy spends 1.6% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Italy: 1.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Ghana’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Italy: 69% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 48 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Italy: $3,398 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 18 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Italy: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 12 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 16 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
18% of adults in Italy are obese, versus 14% in Ghana.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Italy: 17.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Italy: 22.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 2.02 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Italy: 6.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Italy drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Ghana.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Italy: 8.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 4.1 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Italy: 71.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 628 kcal more food per person per day than Ghana.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Italy put in 46 more hours a year than in Ghana.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Italy: 1,701 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Italy went to school 3.7 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Italy: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 35 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Italy: 0.98 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Italy: 89% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Italy have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Italy: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Italy: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Italy: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 18 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Italy: 17,305 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Italy fly 27 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Italy: 0.34 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 35% of Ghana, but only 33% of Italy.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Italy: 32.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 8.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Italy: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Italy: 48.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 86% more fine dust than in Italy.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.2 times as likely to be murdered in Ghana as in Italy.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 5.2 times as deadly as in Italy.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Italy: 5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 14.1 °C warmer than Italy.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 9% more rain than Italy.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Italy?
Italy is larger. Italy is 27% bigger than Ghana.
Which has more people, Ghana or Italy?
Italy has 68% more people than Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Italy?
People in Italy live 18 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 84.0 in Italy.
Are people taller in Ghana or Italy?
Men in Italy are 4.1 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
