Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
have 20.3% more doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
live 3.8 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 54.5% more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
see 26.7% less spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 35.8% less money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.5% more likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 28.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% 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 14.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.6% more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 22.5% more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 65.1% less strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 79.7% less home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 28.9% less electricity
Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 26.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.