Perhaps, it’s difficult to argue that it’s better to live in a rich country than in a poor one. As of 2024 year data, the basic indicator of the economic development - GDP by purchasing power parity per capita - was:

● In Estonia - 49,1 thousand dollars,

● In Madagascar - 1,84 thousand dollars.

Thus, according to the gross production per one person, Estonia leaves Madagascar behind by %.

Where do they earn more?

Let’s compare the data about minimum labor level pay in both countries.

● The minimum wage in Estonia set at EUR 886;

● The minimum wage in Madagascar set at 200,000 ariary (approximately US$ 55).

Where are the prices lower?     up↑

The average GDP gap per capita is narrowed down by the difference in cost of living. According to the statistics of the data base Numbeo, at the beginning of 2025 year, Estonia is a more expensive country.

The price level in Estonia for basic goods and services (including food, consumer goods, transport, mobile connection and utility bills) is on average % higher than in Madagascar. In other words, at the current exchange rate 1000 dollars in Madagascar will have the same purchasing power as dollars in Estonia.

Where is the crime rate lower?     up↑

To estimate the population law-abidingness and law enforcement activity, let’s pay attention to the statics of premeditated murders and to the data about the number of Estonians and Madagascans, being imprisoned.

Yearly out of 100 thousand people, murders kill:

● in Estonia - 1.96 people;

● in Madagascar - 7.69 people

As of 2023 year, in prisons and criminal camps the number of inmates is:

● in Estonia - 2.34 thousand, or 168 prisoners per 100,000 people;

● in Madagascar - 27.9 thousand, or 102 prisoners per 100,000 people

Where do people get sick less and live longer?     up↑

The life quality is greatly defined by how long the people live. According to the latest data, the life expectancy is:

According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), the spread of HIV-infections is:

● in Estonia - 7300 of the infected (0.55% of population)

● in Madagascar - 70000 of the infected (0.23% of population)

The number of people infected by tuberculosis is:

● in Estonia - 170 people (13 per 100,000 people);

● in Madagascar - 63000 people (233 per 100,000 people)

The cancer situation is the following:

● in Estonia per 100 000 people yearly one finds 278.5 new cases of the disease and registers 116.3 lethal cases;

● in Madagascar per 100k people every year one fixes 124.3 of newly infected people and 87.7 lethal cases from cancer.

We should not judge about the quality of medicine only by the number of cancer cases, we should look at the ratio between the number of new cases and the number of cancer deaths (the lower it is, the higher the rate of the cured ones is; consequently, the better the health care system works). In the countries under consideration, we see the following ratio between the newly-infected and the dead:

● in Estonia - ;

● in Madagascar -

Where do people drink and smoke less?     up↑

It’s considered that It’s more comfortable to live in that country where people are less exposed to bad habits. The following WHO data show that the situation with the alcohol consumption (pure alcohol) runs as this:

● in Estonia - 9.2 liters per every person older 15 years old (about 15 litres per every man and 4.4 litres per every woman);

● in Madagascar - 2 liters per every person older 15 years old (about 3.2 litres per every man and 0.8 litres per every woman)

How noticeable are the differences in alcoholic beverages of the Estonians and the Madagascans?

● in Estonia, in terms of pure alcohol, beer accounts for 41.2% % of consumption, wine accounts for 11.1% of consumption, strong drinks (vodka and cognac, etc.) account for 36.8% of consumption, other drinks (including home-made ones) - 10.9% of consumption;

● in Madagascar beer accounts for 56% from the total amount of alcohol consumption, wine accounts for 9.5%, strong drinks - 34.5%

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Addiction to smoking in the countries under consideration is seen like that:

● in Estonia there are 28,3 % of active smokers among the adults (33,8 % of adult males and 22,8 % of adult females smoke there);

● in Madagascar 26,8 % of adult population smoke on a constant base (43 % of men and 10,7 % of women)

By unit tobacco consumption per capita the leader is Estonia - here on average every adult smokes 1760 cigarettes per year, against 404 cigarettes per capita in Madagascar.

Where do people have more reasons to be satisfied with their lives?     up↑

Perhaps, it’s very difficult to make up an indicator, with the help of which one can define how much the people of this or that country are satisfied by their lives. Nevertheless, there have been a couple of researches.

For example, the UN experts calculate a so-called "Rating of countries by the Happiness Index”, which helps to understand to what degree the states provide their citizens with the happy life. As of 2023 data, the happiest ones are Estonians, their happiness index is 6.455, meanwhile in Madagascar the happiness index is equal to 4.019.

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There is also an overall index, which is used by UNO - Human Development Index (HDI). This index considers various reasons why citizens feel comfortable. According to 2022 data, HDI in Estonia is 0.89; in Madagascar - 0.501.

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To indirectly evaluate how much the people are satisfied with their lives, one can consider the number of suicides. It comes logically that the better the lives of the people are arranged, the fewer reasons for the suicides there are. In the countries under consideration, per 100 000 people there are:

● in Estonia - 12,0 suicides (20,2 among men and 4,5 among women) ;

● in Madagascar - 9,2 suicides (13,3 among men and 5,4 among women)