If you lived in Madagascar instead of Romania, you would:

Health

be 86.1% less likely to be obese

In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 36.7% less likely to die by suicide

Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 12.6 years less

In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 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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see 97.6% less spent on your healthcare

Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.

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have 95.3% fewer doctors per person

Romania has 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.

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have 55.1% less access to essential health services

Romania scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 49.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Romania, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.

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be 4.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.

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make 97.3% less money

Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.

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Life

have 4.2 times more children

In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 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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be 37.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Romania, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 24.7% less likely to be literate

In Romania, the literacy rate is 99.2% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

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be 7.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Romania, approximately 6.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Romania, 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 79.5% less likely to have internet access

In Romania, approximately 91.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

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be 44.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Romania, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 39.9% less on healthcare

Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 21.5 times more coastline

Romania has a total of 225 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

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Safety

be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 99.7% less home broadband

Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

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live with 47.6% more strain on fresh water

Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.

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use 96.9% less electricity

Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 96.0% less CO2

Romania emits 3.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 26.1% more likely to die from air pollution

In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), 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.
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