Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 46.1% less likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
be 77.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 19.8 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 98.8% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 93.4% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 60.7% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.4% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 98.3% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 6.7 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 111.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.8% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 18.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 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 South Korea, 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 80.9% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 44.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Madagascar, 55% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.6% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 60.5% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.0 times more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.8% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.7% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 99.3% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.7% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.