Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside Ghana 3.6 times.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sri Lanka’s coastline is 2.5 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sri Lanka’s highest peak towers 1,639 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ghana has 61% more people than Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sri Lanka is 2.3 times as densely populated as Ghana.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ghana are 2.2 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ghana are 3.0 cm taller than in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 12 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.4 more children on average than in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka 0.0.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sri Lanka has 2 official languages, Ghana 1.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ghana’s economy is 5% larger than Sri Lanka’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 2 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Sri Lanka (Gini 5.8 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.0% in Sri Lanka, versus 3.0% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sri Lanka spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ghana’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Sri Lanka’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 91% more on health per person than Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 12 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 4.3 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
14% of adults in Ghana are obese, versus 11% in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Sri Lanka smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ghana rate their lives 0.54 points higher than in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ghana drink 4% more alcohol than in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ghana has 50% more meat per person than Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 450 kcal more food per person per day than Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sri Lanka put in 398 more hours a year than in Ghana.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 3.7 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 18% more tourists per resident than Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
72% of people in Ghana are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sri Lanka have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
59% of people in Ghana live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sri Lanka’s railway network is 65% longer than Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 35% of Ghana, but only 34% of Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 34% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sri Lanka emits 48% more CO₂ than someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 36% more fine dust than in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 81% more likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka than in Ghana.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 2.3 times as deadly as in Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Sri Lanka: 11.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 1.1 °C warmer than Sri Lanka.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 64% more rain than Ghana.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Sri Lanka?
Ghana is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside Ghana 3.6 times.
Which has more people, Ghana or Sri Lanka?
Ghana has 61% more people than Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 12 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in Ghana or Sri Lanka?
Men in Ghana are 2.2 cm taller than in Sri Lanka (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
