Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside Sweden 2.2 times.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 6 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 1,215 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ghana has 3.3 times as many people as Sweden.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 5.9 times as densely populated as Sweden.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 10.2 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 7.8 cm taller than in Ghana.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 19 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.9 more children on average than in Sweden.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ghana 0.3.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ghana and Sweden are practically level.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 5.9 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 8.4 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Sweden (Gini 14.2 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 3.0% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Ghana’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 92 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 18 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 14 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 17 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 14% in Ghana.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 2.70 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Ghana.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 3.9 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 242 kcal more food per person per day than Ghana.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ghana put in 224 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 5.6 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 23 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sweden have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 10 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 147 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 35% of Ghana.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sweden emits 5.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 4.9 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 60% more likely to be murdered in Ghana than in Sweden.
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 12 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 23.6 °C warmer than Sweden.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 40% more rain than Sweden.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Ghana fits inside Sweden 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Ghana or Sweden?
Ghana has 3.3 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 18 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Ghana or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 10.2 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
