Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan is 58% bigger than Ghana.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 55 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 2,891 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 3.5 times as many people as Ghana.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 2.2 times as densely populated as Ghana.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 1.8 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Ghana and Japan are practically level.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 28 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 2.2 more children on average than in Japan.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ghana 0.3.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ghana and Japan are practically level.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 39 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 6.4 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Japan (Gini 11.2 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Ghana, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Ghana’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 52 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 18 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 15 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 10 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
14% of adults in Ghana are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.58 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in Ghana.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 3.4 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 455 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Ghana and Japan are practically level.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 5.6 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 21 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 78 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 35% of Ghana.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
36% of Ghana’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8 times as likely to be murdered in Ghana as in Japan.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 9.6 times as deadly as in Japan.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 15.2 °C warmer than Japan.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 63% more rain than Ghana.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Japan?
Japan is larger. Japan is 58% bigger than Ghana.
Which has more people, Ghana or Japan?
Japan has 3.5 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Japan?
People in Japan live 18 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Ghana or Japan?
Men in Japan are 1.8 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
