Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 19.2 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 59.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 17.4 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 71.9% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 7.0 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 28.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 83.9 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 99.3% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.3% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 91.2% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 69.0% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% 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 (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.5% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 44.9% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 72.7% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 73.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 340.3 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 190.9 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 134.1 times more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 121.7 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.