Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Madagascar, you would:

Health

live 15.1 years longer

In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 48.7 times more money

Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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Life

have 55.8% fewer children

In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.5 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 New Caledonia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

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be 79.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In New Caledonia, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 53.3% less coastline

Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Infrastructure

find 161.4 times more home broadband

Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 113.9 times more CO2

Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Madagascar vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 3.2 times more expensive than Madagascar overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Madagascar is about 32 times bigger than New Caledonia.
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Moving from Madagascar to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.

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