Ghana vs United Kingdom
United Kingdom and Ghana are almost exactly the same size.
GhanaUnited KingdomGhana moved onto United Kingdom · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Ghana is 0.98× the area of United Kingdom. Put the other way, United Kingdom is 1.02× the size of Ghana.
 Ghana |  United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 238,535 km²#80 of 194 | 242,495 km²#78 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited Kingdom: 1.98× the population | 35,064,272#47 of 194 · 2025 | 69,487,000#22 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited Kingdom: 1.95× the density | 147 / km²#61 of 194 | 287 / km²#31 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited Kingdom: 1.41× the urban share | 59%#112 of 192 · 2025 | 83%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGhana: 2.15× the births per woman | 3.34 per woman#46 of 192 · 2024 | 1.55 per woman#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGhana: 1.53 points higher | +1.83%#55 of 192 · 2025 | +0.30%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGhana: 2.62× the birth rate | 25.9 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited Kingdom: 1.39× the death rate | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Ghana: 18.4 points higher | 35.4%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United Kingdom: 15.9 points higher | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 19.7%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited Kingdom: 6.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGhana: 46× the refugees for its size | 0.46 per 1,000#75 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited Kingdom: 15.7 years longer | 65.7 years#164 of 192 · 2024 | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGhana: 6.71× the infant mortality | 27.5 per 1,000 births#52 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited Kingdom: 12.2× the doctors per person | 0.27 per 1,000#140 of 178 · 2023 | 3.30 per 1,000#53 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentUnited Kingdom: 3.77× the university enrolment | 21.3%#114 of 145 · 2024 | 80.4%#24 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexUnited Kingdom: 0.318 higher | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 | 0.946#12 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited Kingdom: 20.7× the income per person | $2,630#143 of 185 · 2025 | $54,550#19 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited Kingdom: 35× the economy | $114.21B2025 | $4T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United Kingdom: 7.5× the output per person | $8,610#134 of 184 · 2025 | $64,606#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGhana: 4.6 points higher | +6.0%#32 of 187 · 2025 | +1.4%#145 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGhana: 10.3 points higher | +14.2%#14 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentUnited Kingdom: 1.57× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 4.7%#101 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGhana: 97.5× the share in extreme poverty | 39.0%#22 of 149 · 2016 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Ghana: 11.1 higher | 43.5#23 of 149 · 2016 | 32.4#99 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureGhana: 33.7 points higher | 34.6% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGhana: 2.4 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited Kingdom: 36.0 points higher | 47.2% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 83.2% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGhana: 0.8 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#136 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGhana: 4.5 points higher | 35.1% of GDP#84 of 168 · 2024 | 30.6% of GDP#101 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingUnited Kingdom: 4.9× the military spending | 0.5% of GDP#145 of 155 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#45 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited Kingdom: 1.32× the share online | 72%#116 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#25 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited Kingdom: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGhana: 2.29× the forest share | 31% of land#101 of 192 · 2024 | 14% of land#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited Kingdom: 6.03× the CO₂ per person | 0.70 t a year#141 of 185 · 2024 | 4.22 t a year#57 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGhana: 26.8 points higher | 39.0%#63 of 190 · 2021 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited Kingdom: 8.1 points higher | 91.9%#135 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Ghana: 2.96× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 9.5 µg/m³#157 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUnited Kingdom: 13.1 points higher | 15.3% of land#115 of 191 · 2025 | 28.4% of land#41 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited Kingdom: 4.6 points higher | 20.7% of land#53 of 190 · 2024 | 25.3% of land#38 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited Kingdom: 2.29× the water stress | 6.3%#109 of 176 · 2022 | 14.4%#75 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,187 mm#75 of 180 · 2022 | 1,220 mm#73 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited Kingdom: 0.20 higher | +0.09#98 of 193 · 2025 | +0.29#80 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited Kingdom: 1.64 higher | −0.11#85 of 193 · 2025 | +1.53#17 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGhana: 1.64× the homicide rate | 1.8 per 100,000#82 of 146 · 2022 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Accra | London |
| Currency | Ghana cedi (GHS) | Pound sterling (GBP) |
| Official languages | English | English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Scots, British Sign Language, Ulster Scots |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC, summer time UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +233 | +44 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Northern Europe, Europe |
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; United Kingdom at 54° N is stretched to 2.9×. That difference is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it is next to Ghana. 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 United Kingdom?
- No. Ghana and United Kingdom are almost exactly the same size. Ghana covers 238,535 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,495 km².
- How many times does Ghana fit into United Kingdom?
- About 1.0 times: United Kingdom has 1.02× the area of Ghana.
- Why do Ghana and United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom about 2.9×. That is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it really is next to Ghana. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Ghana or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 35,064,272. Density: Ghana 147 per km², United Kingdom 287 per km².
- Which is richer, Ghana or United Kingdom?
- By gross national income per person, United Kingdom: $54,550 against $2,630 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 20.7× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ghana or United Kingdom?
- In United Kingdom: life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years, against 65.7 — 15.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ghana and United Kingdom have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Ghana: presidential republic; United Kingdom: constitutional monarchy.