Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
be 72.4% less likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
be 63.3% less likely to die by suicide
Thailand has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.7 years less
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 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 94.1% less spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 68.2% fewer doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 57.3% less access to essential health services
Thailand scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 13.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Thailand, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 92.6% less money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.9 times more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.0% less likely to be literate
In Thailand, the literacy rate is 91.1% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Thailand, 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 79.4% less likely to have internet access
In Thailand, approximately 90.9% 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 Thailand, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 24.4% less on healthcare
Thailand spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 21.0% more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 50.0% more coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 11.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 51.1% less strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.2% less home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 97.3% less electricity
Thailand uses 2,965 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.2% less CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Thailand vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.