Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 88.6% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
live 8.6 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.5% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 83.2% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 40.7% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 4.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 88.9% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 24.0% more children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.1% less likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iraq, 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.
be 77.1% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 43.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iraq, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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.
Expenditures
spend 38.0% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 83.2 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Infrastructure
live with 81.1% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.3% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 94.2% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 97.1% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.