Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 3.2 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 66.1% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
see 39.5% less spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
be 46.4% more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 49.8% less money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.1 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 21.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
have 19.8% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 27.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 39% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 15% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 49.2% less likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 35.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 55% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.0% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 11.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.4% less home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 40.8% more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
Environment
be 10.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 50.0% less CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.