Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 4.2 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 40.0% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Madagascar, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
be 23.7% more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
have 47.7% fewer doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
be 42.5% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
make 87.5% more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 48.5% 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.6% 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
have 11.5% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 62.2% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 69.7% more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 10.9% 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.1% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 49.6% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.0 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 79.4% more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.