Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Ghana 5.7 times.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ghana’s coastline is 20% longer than the Netherlands’.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ghana’s highest peak towers 23 m above the Netherlands’.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ghana has 94% more people than the Netherlands.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 3.5 times as densely populated as Ghana.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.5 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 11.5 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 20 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.9 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ghana 0.3.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ghana and the Netherlands are practically level.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 12 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 10 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in the Netherlands (Gini 17.8 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 3.0% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Ghana’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 97 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 16 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 8.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Netherlands.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 15 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 14% in Ghana.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.67 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Ghana.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 4.1 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 342 kcal more food per person per day than Ghana.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ghana put in 217 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 5.6 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 33 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 3.2 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 182 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 35% of Ghana, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 10 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.7 times as likely to be murdered in Ghana as in the Netherlands.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 7.6 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 16.7 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 26% more rain than the Netherlands.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than the Netherlands?
Ghana is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Ghana 5.7 times.
Which has more people, Ghana or the Netherlands?
Ghana has 94% more people than the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 16 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Ghana or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 13.5 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
