Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 88.8% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
live 15.1 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 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.
see 98.2% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 95.0% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 52.7% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
be 6.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 98.3% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 92.2% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 63.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.7% less likely to be literate
In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 9.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Saudi Arabia, 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 81.3% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 44.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% 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.
Expenditures
spend 31.9% less on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 39.7% less on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.9% more coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 21.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.8% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.7% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 99.3% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 36.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 99.2% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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: Saudi Arabia vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.