Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 9.9 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
have 94.3% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
be 52.9% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 84.9% 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 North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.1% 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
have 59.4% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.9% 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 North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 69.7% 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 North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 48.3% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
use 9.8 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.7 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 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. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.