Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 63.2% less likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
be 14.5% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 54.4% less spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 20.4% fewer doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
Economy
be 91.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 63.9% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 45.4% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 30.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% 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.
be 45.0% less likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 20.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 55% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 39.9 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Infrastructure
find 57.1% less home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 11.5 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
use 30.2% less electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 24.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.4% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.