If you lived in Madagascar instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 79.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.2 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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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be 58.7% less likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.

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have 2.3 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.

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be 33.7% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 54.0% less spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 51.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 35.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 99.2% more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

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be 26.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Madagascar, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 31.3% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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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Basic Needs

be 2.2 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% 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 35.6% more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

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be 51.6% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 67.8% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 66.7% more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 13.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 6.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

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live with 33.1 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 40.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.5 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

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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