Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Madagascar instead of Suriname, you would:

Health

be 72.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Madagascar, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

be 79.9% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 26.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Madagascar, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.

live 4.2 years less

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 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 60.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

pay a 47.4% lower top tax rate

Suriname has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Madagascar, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 91.1% less money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $19,000 as of 2023, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2023.

Life

have 85.2% more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Madagascar, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Suriname, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Madagascar, 392.0 women do as of 2020.

be 18.6% less likely to be literate

In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 77.3% as of 2021.

be 29.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Suriname, approximately 30.2 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 63.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Suriname, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Madagascar, that number is 36% of people on average (73% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 69.7% less likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 66.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Madagascar, about 20.0% do as of 2021.

be 43.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Suriname, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 38.0% less on education

Suriname spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Madagascar spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 42.6% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Madagascar, that number is 3.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.5 times more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, 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.
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