Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 2.2 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 49.8% more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 31.4% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 21.0% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Madagascar, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
have 47.7% fewer doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 29.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
make 53.4% more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 20.4% 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
be 30.9% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 69.8% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 57.4% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.7% less on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.3% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Infrastructure
find 4.3 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
live with 80.4% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 55.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.0% more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.