Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
be 61.1% less likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
have 57.8% more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
live 5.1 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 69.4% less spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 30.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 69.3% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 48.3% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 87.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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 46.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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 68.9% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 37.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 50.5% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.6% less on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.1 times more coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Infrastructure
live with 30.8% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 97.0% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 80.5% less electricity
Senegal uses 410 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.5% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 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: Senegal vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.