Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Madagascar instead of Aruba, you would:

Health

live 12.7 years less

In Aruba, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 98.4% less money

Aruba has a GDP per capita of $38,591 as of 2024, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.

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Life

have 4.2 times more children

In Aruba, there are approximately 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 23.6% less likely to be literate

In Aruba, the literacy rate is 97.8% as of 2018. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

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be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Aruba, approximately 12.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Madagascar, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Aruba, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 39% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 15% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 80.7% less likely to have internet access

In Aruba, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 15.7% less on education

Aruba spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 70.5 times more coastline

Aruba has a total of 68 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

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Infrastructure

find 99.3% less home broadband

Aruba has 17.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 97.1% less CO2

Aruba emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2018–2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Aruba vs. Madagascar

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Madagascar is 68.9% cheaper than Aruba overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Aruba is about 3,261 times smaller than Madagascar.
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Moving from Aruba to Madagascar · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Madagascar: At a glance

Madagascar is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 581,540 sq km. Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA achieved a second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. In early 2009, protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in RAVALOMANANA handing over power to the military, which then conferred the presidency on the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry RAJOELINA, in what amounted to a coup d'etat. Following a lengthy mediation process led by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Madagascar held UN-supported presidential and parliamentary elections in 2013. Former de facto finance minister Hery RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA defeated RAVALOMANANA's favored candidate Jean-Louis ROBINSON in a presidential runoff and was inaugurated in January 2014. Most international observers, while noting some irregularities, declared polls to be a credible reflection of the Malagasy public's will.
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How big is Madagascar compared to Aruba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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