Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 69.8% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
see 20.7% more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 29.6% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
be 23.5% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 35.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
Life
be 21.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.0% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 34.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
have 25.1% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 33.1% less likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 26.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% 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.
Geography
see 59.6% more coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 11.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 54.1% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 83.3% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.