Country page · Sub-Saharan Africa
If you were born in Ghana
1 in 148 babies · 0.68% of births · about 908,866 a year
Right now, about 0.68% of the world's babies are born in Ghana — 1 in 148, or roughly 908,866 a year and 2,490 a day. Life expectancy there is 65.7 years.
How the 1 in 148 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Ghana has about 908,866 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.68% — 1 in 148. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Ghana, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 68.2 · men 63.3 | 65.7 years | 145th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 35.9 / 1,000 | 3.6% | 121st lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 27.5 / 1,000 | 2.8% | 121st lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 234 | 140th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 3.34 | 128th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 11.9 years | 107th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 21.3% | 113th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $8,610 | 118th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 43.50 | 25th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 58.9% | 102nd highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 34.6% | 124th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 72.2% | 103rd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 1.8 | 67th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 26.7% | 72nd lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 1.50% | 25th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 3.3% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Ghana compared with Sub-Saharan Africa
Life expectancy in Ghana is 65.7 years, against a Sub-Saharan Africa average of 0.0. The under-5 death rate is 3.6%, versus 0.0% across the region. Income per person is $8,610, against $0 regionally; expected schooling is 11.9 years against 0.0. 58.9% of people live in cities, against 0.0% in the region.
| Indicator | Ghana | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 65.7 years old | — | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 3.6% | — | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $8,610 | — | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 11.9 years | — | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 58.9% | — | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 65.7 years on average, with roughly 35.9 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 11.9 years of school, and income per person is around $8,610. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Ghana
The game draws Ghana in about 1 of every 148 births. From there the life runs year by year: 65.7 years of life expectancy on average, a 3.6% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $8,610 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Chad — 1 in 148
- Chance of being born in Mali — 1 in 135
- Chance of being born in Cameroon — 1 in 135
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Ghana?
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.