Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam is 39% bigger than Ghana.
Ghana: 238,539 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 6.4 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 539 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 2,259 m above Ghana’s.
Ghana: 885 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 2.9 times as many people as Ghana.
Ghana: 35.1 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 2.1 times as densely populated as Ghana.
Ghana: 154 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ghana are 1.4 cm taller than in Vietnam.
Ghana: 170.3 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Ghana and Vietnam are practically level.
Ghana: 158.9 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 11 years older than in Ghana.
Ghana: 20.9 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ghana have 1.4 more children on average than in Vietnam.
Ghana: 3.34 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Vietnam are 65 or older, versus 3.8% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.8% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ghana has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1.
Ghana: 0.3 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ghana and Vietnam are practically level.
Ghana: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vietnam’s economy is 4.5 times the size of Ghana’s.
Ghana: $114 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Vietnam produces 2.1 times as much per person as Ghana.
Ghana: Int$8,610 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ghana than in Vietnam (Gini 7.4 points higher).
Ghana: 43.5 (2016) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Ghana, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
Ghana: 3% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Ghana 0.4%.
Ghana: 0.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
Ghana’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Vietnam’s.
Ghana: 38% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Vietnam spends 2.8 times as much on health per person as Ghana.
Ghana: $70 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Vietnam live 9 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 65.7 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ghana is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Vietnam.
Ghana: 27.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Vietnam has 4.2 times as many doctors per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
14% of adults in Ghana are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
Ghana: 13.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 3.3% in Ghana.
Ghana: 3.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 1.87 points higher than in Ghana.
Ghana: 4.55 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 4.1 times as much alcohol as in Ghana.
Ghana: 2.6 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 3.5 times as much meat per person as Ghana.
Ghana: 17.4 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ghana has 39 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
Ghana: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 505 more hours a year than in Ghana.
Ghana: 1,656 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 1.9 years longer than in Ghana.
Ghana: 7.1 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Vietnam welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Ghana (2019).
Ghana: 0.03 (2022) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 72% in Ghana.
Ghana: 72% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 92% in Ghana.
Ghana: 91.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
59% of people in Ghana live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
Ghana: 59% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ghana 114.
Ghana: 114 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 3.3 times as long as Ghana’s.
Ghana: 947 km (2022) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 43 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ghana.
Ghana: 0.01 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 35% of Ghana.
Ghana: 35.2% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ghana.
Ghana: 0.6 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 36% in Ghana.
Ghana: 36.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ghana carries 10% more fine dust than in Vietnam.
Ghana: 28.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ghana: 1.8 per 100k (2022) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ghana are 46% deadlier than in Vietnam.
Ghana: 25.9 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ghana is on average 3.6 °C warmer than Vietnam.
Ghana: 27.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 91% more rain than Ghana.
Ghana: 1,118 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ghana bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. Vietnam is 39% bigger than Ghana.
Which has more people, Ghana or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 2.9 times as many people as Ghana (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ghana or Vietnam?
People in Vietnam live 9 years longer than in Ghana. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Ghana and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Ghana or Vietnam?
Men in Ghana are 1.4 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
