The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Madagascar fits inside the United States 17 times.
Madagascar: 587,295 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 4.1 times as long as Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: 4,828 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 3,314 m above Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: 2,876 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 10 times as many people as Madagascar.
Madagascar: 32.7 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Madagascar is 51% more densely populated than the United States.
Madagascar: 56 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 11.8 cm taller than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 165.2 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 10.3 cm taller than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 153.1 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 19 years older than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 18.9 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Madagascar have 2.3 more children on average than in the United States.
Madagascar: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.5% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 3.5% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Madagascar 0.3.
Madagascar: 0.3 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Madagascar has 2 official languages, the United States 1.
Madagascar: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 1,568 times the size of Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: $19.6 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 46 times as much per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: Int$1,952 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Madagascar (Gini 5 points higher).
Madagascar: 36.8 (2021) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 3.0% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 3% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Madagascar 0.7%.
Madagascar: 0.7% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3.3× Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: 31% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 773 times as much on health per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: $17 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 15 years longer than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 63.8 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Madagascar is 7.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Madagascar: 43 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 21 times as many doctors per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 4.1% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 4.1% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
26% of adults in Madagascar smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Madagascar: 25.6% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 2.64 points higher than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 4.17 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 13 times as much alcohol as in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 0.7 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 23 times as much meat per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: 5.3 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,969 kcal more food per person per day than Madagascar.
Madagascar: 1,978 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Madagascar put in 10 more hours a year than in the United States.
Madagascar: 1,799 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 9.3 years longer than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 4.6 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 16 times as many tourists per resident as Madagascar (2019).
Madagascar: 0.01 (2019) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 19% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 19% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 43% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 42.5% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 33% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 33% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Madagascar 75.
Madagascar: 75 (2023) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 221 times as long as Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: 673 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 288 times as many passengers per resident as those from Madagascar.
Madagascar: 0.01 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 21% of Madagascar.
Madagascar: 21.3% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 100 times as much CO₂ as someone in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 0.1 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
42% of Madagascar’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
Madagascar: 42.4% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Madagascar carries 55% more fine dust than in the United States.
Madagascar: 11.6 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Madagascar: no data · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Madagascar are 58% deadlier than in the United States.
Madagascar: 22.5 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Madagascar is on average 12.7 °C warmer than the United States.
Madagascar: 23°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Madagascar gets 63% more rain than the United States.
Madagascar: 1,384 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Madagascar bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Madagascar fits inside the United States 17 times.
Which has more people, Madagascar or the United States?
The United States has 10 times as many people as Madagascar (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Madagascar or the United States?
People in the United States live 15 years longer than in Madagascar. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Madagascar and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Madagascar or the United States?
Men in the United States are 11.8 cm taller than in Madagascar (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
