Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside Nigeria 3.9 times.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 58% longer than Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 1,534 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 6.8 times as many people as Ghana.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 69% more densely populated than Ghana.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 1.3 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Ghana and Nigeria are practically level.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ghana is 3.2 years older than in Nigeria.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 1.0 more children on average than in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.8% of people in Ghana are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ghana and Nigeria are practically level.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Nigeria’s economy is 2.5 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Nigeria produces 11% more per person than Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Nigeria (Gini 9.6 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Nigeria and Ghana are practically level.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Nigeria and Ghana are practically level.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ghana’s price level (US = 100) is 2.9× Nigeria’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ghana spends 5% more on health per person than Nigeria.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ghana live 11 years longer than in Nigeria.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 2.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ghana.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Nigeria has 43% more doctors per person than Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
14% of adults in Ghana are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Ghana and Nigeria are practically level.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nigeria rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ghana drink 27% more alcohol than in Nigeria.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ghana has 2.4 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 655 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 406 more hours a year than in Ghana.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Nigeria went to school 0.48 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ghana welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
72% of people in Ghana are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
92% of people in Ghana have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ghana has 114 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 3.7 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Nigeria fly 77% more passengers per resident than those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 35% of Ghana, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ghana emits 5% more CO₂ than someone in Nigeria.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
36% of Ghana’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 77% more fine dust than in Ghana.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8.6 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Ghana.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 51% deadlier than in Nigeria.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 0.5 °C warmer than Nigeria.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 7% more rain than Nigeria.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Ghana fits inside Nigeria 3.9 times.
Which has more people, Ghana or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 6.8 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Nigeria?
People in Ghana live 11 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Ghana or Nigeria?
Men in Nigeria are 1.3 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
