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

Health

live 2.4 years longer

In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.

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have 22.7% more doctors per person

Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Djibouti has 2.1 as of 2022.

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have 25.7% more access to essential health services

Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Djibouti scores 44 as of 2021.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 30.7% more likely to die by suicide

Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Djibouti, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 6.5 times more money

Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $3,906 as of 2025.

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be 8.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 63.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 34.0% fewer children

In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 65.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.

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be 43.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 80% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 62% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 33.5% less on healthcare

Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 93.5% less coastline

Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Djibouti, that number is 314 km.

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Infrastructure

find 12.3 times more home broadband

Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.

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live with 43.8% less strain on fresh water

Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 5.1 times more CO2

Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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How big is Djibouti compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.

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