Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 18.2 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 88.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 21.0 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 2.4 times more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 7.5 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
be 95.7% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 82.8 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
be 67.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 98.4% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 90.7% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 65.2% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
be 80.7% 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 70.8% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 70.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 317.1 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 28.5% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 99.8 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 79.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.1 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.