Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Madagascar instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

live 13.5 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Madagascar, that number is 68 years (67 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 68.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Madagascar, that number is 1.9% as of 2022.

pay a 39.4% lower top tax rate

Puerto Rico has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Madagascar, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 95.6% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $34,300 as of 2022, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2022.

Life

have 3.5 times more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 11.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Madagascar, 392.0 women do as of 2020.

be 16.3% less likely to be literate

In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 77.3% as of 2021.

be 6.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Madagascar, on the other hand, 39.0 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 64.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Madagascar, 35% of the population do as of 2021.

be 74.3% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Madagascar, about 20.0% do as of 2021.

be 43.9% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Madagascar, 56% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 13.9% less on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Madagascar spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 9.6 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, General Direction of Taxes.

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.
Read more

How big is Madagascar compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Madagascar.or Puerto Rico It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.