Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 19.8 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
see 80.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 15.2 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 2.5 times more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 85.6% more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 60.5 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.1% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.2% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 94.7% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 85.2% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
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 South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 77.4% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 50.0% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 69.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 398.3 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 141.8 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.6 times more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.7 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.