Ghana vs United States
United States is 41.2 times larger than Ghana. Ghana would fit into United States about 41 times.
GhanaUnited StatesGhana moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.02×
Ghana is 0.02× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 41.2× the size of Ghana.
 Ghana |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 41.2× the area | 238,535 km²#80 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 9.75× the population | 35,064,272#47 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGhana: 4.23× the density | 147 / km²#61 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 1.36× the urban share | 59%#112 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGhana: 2.05× the births per woman | 3.34 per woman#46 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGhana: 1.31 points higher | +1.83%#55 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGhana: 2.44× the birth rate | 25.9 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.29× the death rate | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Ghana: 18.3 points higher | 35.4%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 14.6 points higher | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 4.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 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 States: 13.2 years longer | 65.7 years#164 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGhana: 5.0× the infant mortality | 27.5 per 1,000 births#52 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 13.6× the doctors per person | 0.27 per 1,000#140 of 178 · 2023 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 3.73× the university enrolment | 21.3%#114 of 145 · 2024 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.310 higher | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 33.8× the income per person | $2,630#143 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 269× the economy | $114.21B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 10.5× the output per person | $8,610#134 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGhana: 3.8 points higher | +6.0%#32 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGhana: 11.3 points higher | +14.2%#14 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentUnited States: 1.4× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGhana: 35.5× the share in extreme poverty | 39.0%#22 of 149 · 2016 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Ghana: 1.7 higher | 43.5#23 of 149 · 2016 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureGhana: 33.1 points higher | 34.6% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 0.6 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 32.4 points higher | 47.2% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGhana: 0.7 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGhana: 24.1 points higher | 35.1% of GDP#84 of 168 · 2024 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 6.5× the military spending | 0.5% of GDP#145 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 1.31× the share online | 72%#116 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 1.09× the forest share | 31% of land#101 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 19.5× the CO₂ per person | 0.70 t a year#141 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGhana: 28.1 points higher | 39.0%#63 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 8.1 points higher | 91.9%#135 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Ghana: 4.01× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGhana: 2.4 points higher | 15.3% of land#115 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGhana: 4.1 points higher | 20.7% of land#53 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 4.48× the water stress | 6.3%#109 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGhana: 1.66× the rain and snow | 1,187 mm#75 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGhana: 0.39 higher | +0.09#98 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 0.98 higher | −0.11#85 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited States: 3.22× the homicide rate | 1.8 per 100,000#82 of 146 · 2022 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Accra | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Ghana cedi (GHS) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +233 | +1 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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 States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 States?
- No. Ghana is 41.2 times smaller than United States. Ghana covers 238,535 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Ghana fit into United States?
- About 41 times: United States has 41.2× the area of Ghana.
- Why do Ghana and United States 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 States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 35,064,272. Density: Ghana 147 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Ghana or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $2,630 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 33.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ghana or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 65.7 — 13.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ghana and United States have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).