If you lived in Madagascar instead of Marshall Islands, you would:

Health

be 89.3% less likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 3.2 years less

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 92.8% less spent on your healthcare

Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 40.7% less access to essential health services

Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 10.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 92.9% less money

Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 57.8% more children

In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 22.0% less likely to be literate

In Marshall Islands, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 89.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Madagascar, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Marshall Islands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

View global rankings →

be 71.7% less likely to have internet access

In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 36.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 60.4% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 74.4% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 13.0 times more coastline

Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 89.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 94.9% less home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Madagascar: At a glance

Madagascar is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 581,540 sq km. Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA achieved a second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. In early 2009, protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in RAVALOMANANA handing over power to the military, which then conferred the presidency on the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry RAJOELINA, in what amounted to a coup d'etat. Following a lengthy mediation process led by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Madagascar held UN-supported presidential and parliamentary elections in 2013. Former de facto finance minister Hery RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA defeated RAVALOMANANA's favored candidate Jean-Louis ROBINSON in a presidential runoff and was inaugurated in January 2014. Most international observers, while noting some irregularities, declared polls to be a credible reflection of the Malagasy public's will.
Read more

How big is Madagascar compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Madagascar or Marshall Islands. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.