Where is it better to live in North Macedonia or in Madagascar?
To answer the question - which country - North Macedonia or Madagascar, is more comfortable for living, let’s compare different constituents which make the standard of living:
Would you like to contrast other countries? Fill them in the proper gaps and choose the criteria for comparison:
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 North Macedonia - 27,8 thousand dollars,
● In Madagascar - 1,84 thousand dollars.
Thus, according to the gross production per one person, North Macedonia leaves Madagascar behind by %.
Let’s compare the data about minimum labor level pay in both countries.
● The minimum wage in North Macedonia set at €20,175 Denars (approximately US$ 357);
● 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, North Macedonia is a more expensive country.
The price level in North Macedonia 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 North Macedonia.
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 Macedonians and Madagascans, being imprisoned.
Yearly out of 100 thousand people, murders kill:
● in North Macedonia - 0.86 people;
● in Madagascar - 7.69 people
***As of 2023 year, in prisons and criminal camps the number of inmates is:
● in North Macedonia - 2.18 thousand, or 105 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:
● in North Macedonia - 74.8 years (72.8 years among men and 76.9 years among women)
● in Madagascar - 65.3 years (64.1 years among men and 66.6 years among women)
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To get an idea about the nation’s health and the system of health care, one should look at the spread of dangerous diseases in the country. Let’s compare where people often suffer from such diseases as HIV-infections, tuberculosis and cancer.
According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), the spread of HIV-infections is:
● in North Macedonia - 600 of the infected (0.03% of population)
● in Madagascar - 70000 of the infected (0.23% of population)
The number of people infected by tuberculosis is:
● in North Macedonia - 250 people (12 per 100,000 people);
● in Madagascar - 63000 people (233 per 100,000 people)
The cancer situation is the following:
● in North Macedonia per 100 000 people yearly one finds 220.4 new cases of the disease and registers 113.6 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 North Macedonia - ;
● in Madagascar -
Where do people drink 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 North Macedonia - 6.2 liters per every person older 15 years old (about 9.9 litres per every man and 2.4 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 Macedonians and the Madagascans?
● in North Macedonia, in terms of pure alcohol, beer accounts for 18.2% % of consumption, wine accounts for 29.1% of consumption, strong drinks (vodka and cognac, etc.) account for 52.4%;
● in Madagascar beer accounts for 56% from the total amount of alcohol consumption, wine accounts for 9.5%, strong drinks - 34.5%
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 Macedonians, their happiness index is 5.254, 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 North Macedonia is 0.77; 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 North Macedonia - 7,2 suicides (11,0 among men and 3,5 among women) ;
● in Madagascar - 9,2 suicides (13,3 among men and 5,4 among women)
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