Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Madagascar instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Madagascar, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 9.4 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Madagascar, that number is 68 years (67 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 39.1% less likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Madagascar, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 41.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Madagascar, that number is 1.9% as of 2022.

pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Madagascar, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

be 24.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Madagascar, however, that number is 70.7% as of 2012.

Life

be 59.1% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Madagascar, it is 77.3% as of 2021.

be 46.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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.

have 10.4% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 28.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 27% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Madagascar, that number is 35% of people on average (73% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 57.5% more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Madagascar, about 20.0% do as of 2021.

be 22.9% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Madagascar, that number is 56% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 65.9% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Madagascar spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 55.7% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Madagascar, that number is 3.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.0 times more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Direction of Taxes, National Revenue Authority.

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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