Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 88.9% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
live 5.5 years less
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.6% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 90.5% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 46.2% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
make 96.9% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Palau, approximately 89.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.2% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Palau, approximately 18.6 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 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Palau, 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.
be 77.7% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 44.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Palau, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 11.3% less on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.4% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.2 times more coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Infrastructure
find 98.4% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.8% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.