Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 64.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
live 1.9 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.9% less likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
have 28.4% more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
see 60.5% less spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 29.2% less money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.7% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 21.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 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.
be 25.7% more likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 11.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% 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 25.6% less likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 18.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 57% 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 27.3% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 16.4% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.0 times more coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 63.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 22.5 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
Environment
be 40.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.8% less CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.