Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
be 16.6% less likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.9 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 87.9% more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
see 90.9% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 84.5% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 48.5% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 100.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 17.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 88.2% less money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.3% less likely to be literate
In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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 60.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Vietnam, 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 77.8% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 44.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vietnam, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 98% 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 24.8% less on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 40.2% more coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 27.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 37.9% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.5% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
use 96.9% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.5% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 11.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 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: Vietnam vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.