Ghana / Ethiopia Comparison

As part of the process of coming to terms with the fact that we're going to have two children from opposite sides of Africa (Lord willing), I decided to do a comparison with available statistics (mainly from UNICEF). Some things really surprised me, while other things were exactly as I expected. I expected Ghana to be further along in development in many ways, and they are. But I was surprised by the fact that more people live in Ghana on less than $1 a day than in Ethiopia. I checked that stat over and over again to make sure I wasn't mixing them up! I was surprised that Ghana's AIDS numbers were greater than Ethiopia's (but note that it's AIDS, not HIV). I was equally surprised that the percentage of orphans to population is fairly close between the two countries. And the salt thing. It really bothers me that in both countries only 28% of the population has access to iodized salt. Iodized salt is HUGE in preventing birth defects! Seems like such an easy "fix" to me. I am seriously considering packing up 70 lbs of iodized salt to take with me when I travel--at least that will help the orphanage.

On to the comparison:

Ghana Flag:

Ethiopia Flag:

Distance Between:

**Addis Ababa and Accra: 2,647 miles

**Tulsa and Addis Ababa: 8,201 miles

**Tulsa and Accra: 6,374 miles

Altitude:

Addis: 8,300 feet

Accra: 324 feet

Tulsa: 616 feet

Population:
G: 22,113,000
E: 77,431,000

Population of Capitol Cities:
G: 2.8 million
E: 2.7 million

Population under 18 years:
G: 46%
E: 51.3%

Population under 5 years:
G: 14%
E: 17%

Population that is urbanized:
G: 46%
E: 16%

Population living on less than $1 per day:
G: 45%
E: 23%

Per Capita Income:
G: $450
E: $160

Life Expectancy:
G: 57
E: 48

Under 5 mortality rank (1 being the worst):
G: 42
E: 19

Under 1 mortality rank (1 being the worst):
G: 68
E: 109

Percentage of Infants with Low Birth Weight:
G: 16%
E: 15%

Percentage of kids under 5 that are underweight:
G: 22%
E: 38%

Percentage of Households with Iodized Salt:
G: 28%
E: 28%

Percentage of Households with improved water:
G: 75%
E: 22%

Percentage of Households with adequate sanitation facilities:
G: 18%
E: 13%

Estimated # of People with AIDS (low):
G: 270,000 (1.2%)
E: 420,000 (.54%)

Estimated # of People with AIDS (high):
G: 380,000 (1.7%)
E: 1,300,000 (1.6%)

Estimated # of Orphans (0-17 years):
G: 1,000,000 (4.5%)
E: 4,800,000 (6.2%)

Skilled Attendant at Childbirth:
G: 47%
E: 6%

On in __ mothers die during childbirth:
G: 1 in 35
E: 1 in 14

Child Labor (5-14 years):
G: 57%
E: 43%

# of Phones Per 100 People:
G: 9 per 100
E: 1 per 100

Capitol City Latitude:
G: 5.55
E: 9.03

Capitol City Longitude:
G: .2
E: 38.7

Well, there is your basic comparison. I'm in love with both countries. =-)

Anita