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

Health

be 90.1% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 65.1% less likely to die by suicide

Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 2.8 years less

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 84.3% less spent on your healthcare

Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 27.1% less access to essential health services

Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 13.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kiribati, 5.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 76.6% less money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 25.3% more children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 24.3% less likely to be literate

In Kiribati, the literacy rate is 98.6% as of 2020. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 10.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 58.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Kiribati, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 94% 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.

View global rankings →

be 79.1% less likely to have internet access

In Kiribati, approximately 89.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 30.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 81.4% less on education

Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 68.7% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 4.2 times more coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 3.6 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 4.0 times more home broadband

Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 74.6% less CO2

Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 18.4% more likely to die from air pollution

In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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.
Read more

How big is Madagascar compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Madagascar or Kiribati. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.