Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
be 62.3% less likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
be 34.6% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.9 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
have 48.5% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.1% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 31.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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 41.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In North Korea, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 55% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 93.5% more coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Infrastructure
live with 59.4% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
use 89.8% less electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 32.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 94.0% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.