Compare
Ghana vs Nigeria
How Ghana and Nigeria compare on 39 measures, from 1820 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Ghana was higher: 65.5 years against 54.5 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Nigeria was higher: $2,369 against $2,261
- Population · In 2023, Nigeria was higher: 228 million people against 33.8 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Nigeria was higher: 0.91% of GDP against 0.48% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Ghana was higher: 0.7 tonnes against 0.57 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyGhana: 65.5 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityGhana: 3.6 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityGhana: 30.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterGhana: 44.5% in 2022Nigeria: 29% in 2022
- DepressionGhana: 3.4% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateGhana: 9.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationGhana: 33.8 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthGhana: 1.9% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateGhana: 3.4 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationGhana: 58.9% in 2025Nigeria: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageGhana: 20.9 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overGhana: 3.6% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateGhana: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingGhana: 0.48% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsGhana: $385M in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personGhana: $15 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingGhana: 2.4% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelGhana: 16,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerGhana: 0.17% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersGhana: 0.13% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsGhana: 5 million TIV in 2025Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsGhana: 19 million TIV in 2005Nigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time