Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years less
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
see 17.1% less spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 22.9% less access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 30.7% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 26.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 10.3% more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
be 6.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 33.6% more children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.5% more 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 Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.5% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 52.1% more 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 Somalia, on the other hand, 65.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 27.7% 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 Somalia, that number is 50% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 49.6% more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 36.0% 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 Somalia, that number is 75% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 37.3% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 10.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.0 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 66.7% less CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
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. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.