Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Madagascar instead of New Caledonia, you would:

Health

live 15.1 years less

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 72.8% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.

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make 97.9% less money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.3 times more children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Caledonia, 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.

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be 77.2% less likely to have internet access

In New Caledonia, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

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be 44.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In New Caledonia, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Madagascar, 55% of people do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

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Infrastructure

find 99.4% less home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 99.1% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Madagascar

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Madagascar is 68.9% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 32 times smaller than Madagascar.
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Moving from New Caledonia to Madagascar · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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.
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How big is Madagascar compared to New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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