Ghana at its true size
Ghana covers 238,535 km², number 80 of 194 countries by area. Home to 35,064,272 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 238,535 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 35,064,272 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 147 per km² |
| Capital | Accra |
| Local time in Accra | |
| Time zone | UTC IANA |
| Currency | Ghana cedi (GHS) Wikidata |
| Languages | English |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +233 |
| Codes | GH · GHA · 288 |
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Where Ghana ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#47 of 19435 million people#14 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#61 of 194147 people per km²#12 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#112 of 19259% urban#17 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#46 of 1923.34 births per woman#39 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#55 of 192+1.83% a year#41 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#45 of 19225.9 births per 1,000 people#40 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#102 of 1927.0 deaths per 1,000 people#26 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#50 of 19235.4% under 15#41 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#146 of 1923.8% aged 65 and over#19 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#100 of 192−0.5 per 1,000 people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#75 of 1900.46 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#29 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#164 of 19265.7 years#28 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#52 of 19127.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#41 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#140 of 1780.27 doctors per 1,000 people#18 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#114 of 14521.3% gross enrolment#9 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#140 of 190an index of 0.628#17 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#143 of 185$2,630 a person#20 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#116 of 18472% online#10 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#134 of 184$8,610 a person#17 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#32 of 187+6.0% a year#14 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#14 of 176+14.2% a year#8 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#138 of 1783.0% of the labour force#40 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#22 of 14939.0% under $3.00 a day#22 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#23 of 149a Gini index of 43.5#12 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#48 of 17834.6% of jobs#32 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#100 of 17818.3% of jobs#17 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#130 of 17847.2% of jobs#22 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#105 of 1841.7% of GDP#34 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#84 of 16835.1% of GDP#18 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#145 of 1550.5% of GDP#48 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#99 of 191114 subscriptions per 100 people#19 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#141 of 1850.70 tonnes a person#21 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#101 of 19231% forest#18 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#63 of 19039.0% renewable#37 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#135 of 19291.9% with electricity#9 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#53 of 19128.1 µg/m³#25 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#115 of 19115.3% of the land protected#28 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#53 of 19020.7% of the land arable#14 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#109 of 1766.3% of its available fresh water#27 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#75 of 1801,187 mm a year#18 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Ghana’s area, lit up on the map →
- Romania1.0×Ghana and Romania are almost exactly the same size.
- Laos1.01×Ghana and Laos are almost exactly the same size.
- Uganda0.99×Ghana and Uganda are almost exactly the same size.
- United Kingdom0.98×Ghana and United Kingdom are almost exactly the same size.
- Guinea0.97×Ghana and Guinea are almost exactly the same size.
- Ecuador0.93×Ghana is 7% smaller than Ecuador.
How many times does Ghana fit into…
- Russia: about 72 times
- Canada: about 42 times
- United States: about 41 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Ghana shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Volta1,500 km
- Black Volta1,352 km
- White Volta640 km
Summits
- Mount Afadja885 m
Lakes
- Lake Volta8,502 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Ghana. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Ghana
- How big is Ghana?
- Ghana covers 238,535 km², which makes it number 80 of 194 countries by area. About 35,064,272 people live there (2025), 147 per km².
- Is Ghana bigger than Romania?
- Ghana and Romania are almost exactly the same size. Ghana: 238,535 km²; Romania: 238,397 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Ghana?
- Ghana lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Ghana?
- Ghana shares a land border with Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo.