Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Senegal instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 5.1 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.
have 42.9% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Senegal scores 50 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
have 36.6% fewer doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Senegal has 1.1 as of 2023.
be 11.0% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 50.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Senegal, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.
make 3.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.
Life
be 46.7% 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 Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.8% 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.
be 32.6% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 50.4% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 88.3% 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 Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.
be 59.1% 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 Senegal, that number is 88% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.9% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.0% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.
Infrastructure
find 33.7 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.
use 5.1 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Senegal uses 410 kWh as of 2023.
live with 44.6% more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Senegal withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Senegal, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.1 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 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. Senegal
Senegal: At a glance
How big is Senegal compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.