Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 14.8 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 68 years (67 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 11.3% less likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 29.8 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.
be 13.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
be 79.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 70.7% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
pay a 90.0% higher top tax rate
Madagascar has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 392.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.
be 26.8% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 77.3% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 92.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 39.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 74.9% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 36% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In South Korea, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
be 4.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Korea, about 98.0% do as of 2021.
be 78.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 56% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 51.6% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Korea spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 50.0% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Direction of Taxes, National Tax Service, South Korea.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.