Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 9.3 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 68 years (67 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
make 7.6 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $13,000 as of 2023.
be 79.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 70.7% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
pay a 25.0% lower top tax rate
Madagascar has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 6.4% as of 2023.
Life
be 92.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 392.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, 29.0 women do as of 2020.
be 19.4% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 77.3% as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.3% as of 2019.
be 79.0% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 8.2 children do as of 2022.
have 47.5% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 14.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (73% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, about 67.0% do as of 2021.
be 65.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 56% of people have improved drinking water access (85% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Sri Lanka, that number is 93% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 38.7% less on education
Madagascar spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sri Lanka spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
Geography
see 72.2% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Direction of Taxes, Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department.
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.