If you lived in Madagascar instead of Timor-Leste, you would:

Health

live 4.1 years less

In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 24.9% more likely to be obese

In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.

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see 86.4% less spent on your healthcare

Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.

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have 77.1% fewer doctors per person

Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.

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have 32.7% less access to essential health services

Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.

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be 71.1% more likely to die by suicide

Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 91.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.

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make 55.3% less money

Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.

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Life

have 45.7% more children

In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 24.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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.

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Basic Needs

be 60.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Timor-Leste, 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.

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be 54.2% less likely to have internet access

In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.

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be 36.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 41.8% less on education

Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 64.3% less on healthcare

Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 6.8 times more coastline

Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

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Safety

be 87.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 12.0 times more home broadband

Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.

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live with 60.2% less strain on fresh water

Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 70.0% less CO2

Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Madagascar: At a glance

Madagascar is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 581,540 sq km. Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA achieved a second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. In early 2009, protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in RAVALOMANANA handing over power to the military, which then conferred the presidency on the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry RAJOELINA, in what amounted to a coup d'etat. Following a lengthy mediation process led by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Madagascar held UN-supported presidential and parliamentary elections in 2013. Former de facto finance minister Hery RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA defeated RAVALOMANANA's favored candidate Jean-Louis ROBINSON in a presidential runoff and was inaugurated in January 2014. Most international observers, while noting some irregularities, declared polls to be a credible reflection of the Malagasy public's will.
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