Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 18.1 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 11.0% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 9.4 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 67.8 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 97.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 97.5% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.7% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 86.0% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 82.0% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 80.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.0% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 89.6% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 44.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 233.2 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 73.5% more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 32.1 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.