Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
have 37.1% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
be 10.1 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 92.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Kiribati, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.
make 4.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
be 82.0% 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 Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.0% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.
have 20.2% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.4 times 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 Kiribati, that number is 96% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.
be 42.9% 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 Kiribati, that number is 79% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 5.4 times more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.3% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Safety
be 72.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 75.0% less home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 15.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.9 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 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. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.