Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ghana fits inside the United States 41 times
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 37 times as long as Ghana’s
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 5,305 m above Ghana’s
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Ghana, versus 46% of the United States
Ghana: 55.4% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 9.7 times as many people as Ghana
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ghana is 4.1 times as densely populated as the United States
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 6.6 cm taller than in Ghana
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 4.4 cm taller than in Ghana
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 17 years older than in Ghana
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.7 more children on average than in the United States
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United States hosts 2.2 times as many refugees per resident as Ghana
Ghana: 0.6 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ghana 0.3
Ghana: 0.3 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ghana and the United States are practically level
Ghana: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 269 times the size of Ghana’s
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 10 times as much per person as Ghana
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in the United States (Gini 1.7 points higher)
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Ghana: no data · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 3.0% in Ghana
Ghana: 3% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.5%
Ghana: 0.5% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ghana’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Ghana: 12.4% (2023) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Ghana’s
Ghana: 38% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 192 times as much on health per person as Ghana
Ghana: $70 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 13 years longer than in Ghana
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 14 times as many doctors per person as Ghana
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 3.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Ghana
Ghana: 0.7 per 1,000 (2015) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ghana is 29% higher than in the United States
Ghana: 17.2 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 14% in Ghana
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 2.26 points higher than in Ghana
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 3.7 times as much alcohol as in Ghana
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 7 times as much meat per person as Ghana
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 822 kcal more food per person per day than Ghana
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 133 more hours a year than in Ghana
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 6.8 years longer than in Ghana
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 7.7 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019)
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 25 more World Heritage sites than Ghana (27 against 2)
Ghana: 2 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Ghana 5
Ghana: 5 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 72% in Ghana
Ghana: 72% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 4.4 times as fast as in Ghana
Ghana: 92 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 59% in Ghana
Ghana: 59% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ghana and the United States are practically level
Ghana: 114 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 157 times as long as Ghana’s
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 219 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 31% of Ghana
Ghana: 30.9% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 23 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
36% of Ghana’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 3.8 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.1 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Ghana
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 2.1 times as deadly as in the United States
Ghana: 54.9 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 17.6 °C warmer than the United States
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ghana gets 32% more rain than the United States
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Ghana fits inside the United States 41 times.
Which has more people, Ghana or the United States?
The United States has 9.7 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or the United States?
People in the United States live 13 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Ghana or the United States?
Men in the United States are 6.6 cm taller than in Ghana (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
