Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 13.8 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 8.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 6.6 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 91.4% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 8.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 31.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.0% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.2% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 87.9% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
have 68.1% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 63.0% 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.0% less on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 72.2% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 48.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 70.6 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 8.0 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 8.1 times more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.1 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.