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MADAGASCAR FACTS

  • Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the Mozambique coast.

  • Although geographically Madagascar belongs to East Africa, culturally it is closer to Asia than to Africa. 

  • Madagascar has two seasons: a hot, rainy season from November to April; and a cooler, dry season from May to October.

  • Capital: Antananarivo (called Tana by the Malagasy people).

  • Official languages: Malagasy and French.

  • Government type: semi-presidential representative republic.

  • Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France).

  • Religions: indigenous beliefs (52%), Christian (41%), Muslim (7%).

  • Currency: Ariary.

MADAGASCAR IN NUMBERS

  • Population: 31.1 million (World Population Review, 2024)

  • Population growth (annual %): 2.68% (World Population Review, 2024)

  • Fertility rate (births per woman): 3.8 (World Bank, 2022)

  • Population aged 0-14 (%): 39% (World Bank, 2022)

  • Rural population (% of total population): 60% (World Bank, 2022)

  • Human Development Index rank: 177 out of 193 countries (UNDP, 2022)

  • Corruption Perception Index rank: 145 out of 180 countries (Transparency International, 2023)

  • Population living below national poverty line (%): 75.2% (World Bank, 2022)

  • Population living below international poverty line ($2.15 a day) (%): 80.7% (World Bank, 2023) 

  • Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older): 77% (World Bank, 2022)

  • Mean years of schooling: 4.59 (UNDP, 2022)

  • Primary school dropout rate (% of primary school cohort): 64.9% (UNDP, 2015)

  • Primary school teachers trained to teach (%): 15% (UNDP, 2017)

  • Gross enrolment ratio, secondary (% of secondary school-age population): 35% (World Bank, 2021)

MADAGASCAR FUN FACTS

  • Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world (or the fifth, including Australia). The only larger islands are Greenland (1st), New Guinea (2nd) and Borneo (3rd). Madagascar is 2.5 times as large as Great Britain.

  • Madagascar has developed its own distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife since it split from the African continent an estimated 160 million years ago. Approximately 95 percent of Madagascar’s reptiles, 89 percent of its plant life, and 92 percent of its mammals exist nowhere else on Earth (WWF).

  • Madagascar is the world's largest producer of vanilla. In 2023 more than 3 million tons of vanilla came from this country, which more than doubles the production of the second-place country, Indonesia. (World population review, 2023)

  • "Mbala Tsara" means "Good Morning" in Malagasy (Sakalava) and "Misaotra betsaka!" means "Thank you very much!".

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