Burkina Faso vs Ghana
Burkina Faso is 15% larger than Ghana.
Burkina FasoGhanaBurkina Faso moved onto Ghana · Equal-area projection
1.15×
Burkina Faso is 1.15× the area of Ghana.
 Burkina Faso |  Ghana | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBurkina Faso: 1.15× the area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 238,535 km²#80 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGhana: 1.46× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 35,064,272#47 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGhana: 1.67× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 147 / km²#61 of 194 |
| Urban populationGhana: 2.04× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 59%#112 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 1.23× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 3.34 per woman#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurkina Faso: 0.38 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +1.83%#55 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurkina Faso: 1.21× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 25.9 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBurkina Faso: 1.13× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burkina Faso: 5.8 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 35.4%#50 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Ghana: 1.1 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGhana: 0.6 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 31.7× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 0.46 per 1,000#75 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGhana: 4.4 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 65.7 years#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 1.59× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 27.5 per 1,000 births#52 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGhana: 1.8× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 0.27 per 1,000#140 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentGhana: 2.13× the university enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | 21.3%#114 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexGhana: 0.169 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGhana: 2.68× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $2,630#143 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGhana: 4.13× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $114.21B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ghana: 2.8× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $8,610#134 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGhana: 0.7 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +6.0%#32 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGhana: 14.8 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +14.2%#14 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBurkina Faso: 1.17× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 1.08× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 39.0%#22 of 149 · 2016 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Ghana: 6.1 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 43.5#23 of 149 · 2016 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 17.2 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 34.6% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGhana: 1.6 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGhana: 15.6 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 47.2% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGhana: 0.6 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGhana: 0.1 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 35.1% of GDP#84 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 6.88× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#145 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGhana: 2.55× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 72%#116 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGhana: 2.51× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 31% of land#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGhana: 2.59× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 0.70 t a year#141 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 32.4 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 39.0%#63 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityGhana: 57.9 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 91.9%#135 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 1.33× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBurkina Faso: 1.5 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 15.3% of land#115 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 8.2 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 20.7% of land#53 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBurkina Faso: 1.24× the water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 6.3%#109 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGhana: 1.59× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 1,187 mm#75 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGhana: 1.89 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | +0.09#98 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGhana: 0.11 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | −0.11#85 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGhana: 1.38× the homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | 1.8 per 100,000#82 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Accra |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Ghana cedi (GHS) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC |
| Calling code | +226 | +233 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso sits at about 12° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Ghana at 8° N is stretched to 1.02×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Burkina Faso bigger than Ghana?
- Yes. Burkina Faso is 15% larger than Ghana. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Ghana covers 238,535 km².
- How many times does Ghana fit into Burkina Faso?
- About 1.1 times: Burkina Faso has 1.15× the area of Ghana.
- Why do Burkina Faso and Ghana look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Ghana about 1.02×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Burkina Faso or Ghana?
- Ghana: 35,064,272 people against 24,074,580. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Ghana 147 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or Ghana?
- By gross national income per person, Ghana: $2,630 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.68× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or Ghana?
- In Ghana: life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years, against 61.3 — 4.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and Ghana have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).