Ghana vs Uganda
Uganda and Ghana are almost exactly the same size.
GhanaUgandaGhana moved onto Uganda · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Ghana is 0.99× the area of Uganda. Put the other way, Uganda is 1.01× the size of Ghana.
 Ghana |  Uganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 238,535 km²#80 of 194 | 241,038 km²#79 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUganda: 1.47× the population | 35,064,272#47 of 194 · 2025 | 51,384,894#31 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUganda: 1.45× the density | 147 / km²#61 of 194 | 213 / km²#48 of 194 |
| Urban populationGhana: 1.85× the urban share | 59%#112 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#167 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateUganda: 1.25× the births per woman | 3.34 per woman#46 of 192 · 2024 | 4.17 per woman#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthUganda: 0.87 points higher | +1.83%#55 of 192 · 2025 | +2.70%#21 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateUganda: 1.33× the birth rate | 25.9 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 34.4 per 1,000#11 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGhana: 1.46× the death rate | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Uganda: 7.7 points higher | 35.4%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 43.1%#10 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Ghana: 1.6 points higher | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGhana: 1.8 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −2.3 per 1,000#151 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGhana: 1.84× the refugees for its size | 0.46 per 1,000#75 of 190 · 2025 | 0.25 per 1,000#94 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUganda: 2.8 years longer | 65.7 years#164 of 192 · 2024 | 68.5 years#141 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityUganda: 1.31× the infant mortality | 27.5 per 1,000 births#52 of 191 · 2024 | 35.9 per 1,000 births#31 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGhana: 1.42× the doctors per person | 0.27 per 1,000#140 of 178 · 2023 | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 21.3%#114 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexGhana: 0.046 higher | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 | 0.582#154 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGhana: 2.35× the income per person | $2,630#143 of 185 · 2025 | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGhana: 1.84× the economy | $114.21B2025 | $61.99B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ghana: 2.47× the output per person | $8,610#134 of 184 · 2025 | $3,488#167 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUganda: 0.3 points higher | +6.0%#32 of 187 · 2025 | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGhana: 10.6 points higher | +14.2%#14 of 176 · 2025 | +3.6%#71 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGhana: 1.11× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyUganda: 1.39× the share in extreme poverty | 39.0%#22 of 149 · 2016 | 54.4%#10 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Ghana: 5.3 higher | 43.5#23 of 149 · 2016 | 38.2#51 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureUganda: 30.3 points higher | 34.6% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 64.9% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGhana: 11.0 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 7.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGhana: 19.3 points higher | 47.2% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 27.9% of jobs#168 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentUganda: 3.7 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGhana: 13.7 points higher | 35.1% of GDP#84 of 168 · 2024 | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingUganda: 4.08× the military spending | 0.5% of GDP#145 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#67 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGhana: 8.11× the share online | 72%#116 of 184 · 2024 | 9%#183 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGhana: 1.37× the mobile subscriptions | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 | 83 per 100#148 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGhana: 2.6× the forest share | 31% of land#101 of 192 · 2024 | 12% of land#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGhana: 4.12× the CO₂ per person | 0.70 t a year#141 of 185 · 2024 | 0.17 t a year#170 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyUganda: 51.9 points higher | 39.0%#63 of 190 · 2021 | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityGhana: 36.6 points higher | 91.9%#135 of 192 · 2024 | 55.3%#169 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Uganda: 1.11× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 31.2 µg/m³#45 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUganda: 0.8 points higher | 15.3% of land#115 of 191 · 2025 | 16.1% of land#106 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUganda: 22.9 points higher | 20.7% of land#53 of 190 · 2024 | 43.6% of land#10 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressGhana: 1.09× the water stress | 6.3%#109 of 176 · 2022 | 5.8%#113 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,187 mm#75 of 180 · 2022 | 1,180 mm#77 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGhana: 0.96 higher | +0.09#98 of 193 · 2025 | −0.87#160 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGhana: 1.00 higher | −0.11#85 of 193 · 2025 | −1.11#163 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUganda: 5.0× the homicide rate | 1.8 per 100,000#82 of 146 · 2022 | 9.0 per 100,000#32 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Accra | Kampala |
| Currency | Ghana cedi (GHS) | Ugandan shilling (UGX) |
| Official languages | English | English, Swahili |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +233 | +256 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern 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. Ghana sits at about 8° N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Uganda at 1° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 Ghana bigger than Uganda?
- No. Ghana and Uganda are almost exactly the same size. Ghana covers 238,535 km² and Uganda covers 241,038 km².
- How many times does Ghana fit into Uganda?
- About 1.0 times: Uganda has 1.01× the area of Ghana.
- Why do Ghana and Uganda look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ghana is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and Uganda about 1.0×. 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, Ghana or Uganda?
- Uganda: 51,384,894 people against 35,064,272. Density: Ghana 147 per km², Uganda 213 per km².
- Which is richer, Ghana or Uganda?
- By gross national income per person, Ghana: $2,630 against $1,120 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.35× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ghana or Uganda?
- In Uganda: life expectancy at birth is 68.5 years, against 65.7 — 2.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ghana and Uganda have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).