Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 86.3% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
live 8.7 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 48.7% less spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 88.7% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 45.3% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
be 10.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 77.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 43.3% less money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.9% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.9% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 55.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 59.9% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 41.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 26.6% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.0 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 24.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.9% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 98.3% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 90.6% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 30.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.2% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.