Madagascar is a country in Africa, known for unique wildlife and diverse ecosystems. It has a population of 32.7 million, making it the 49th largest country in the world. Its official language is , and the capital is Antananarivo. Madagascar has a agricultural economy with growing tourism sector.
Madagascar's population structure shows a nearly equal male to female ratio of 1.01 to 1, with a median male age of 19.82 years old and a median female age of 20.27 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 18 and 19 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 74 and 73 year-old age groups.
Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
* As of 3/14/2025
1 birth
Every 30.8 seconds
1 death
Every 2.2 minutes
1 emigrant
Every 4.0 hours
1 person
Every 40.5 seconds
City | 2025 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Antananarivo | 1,391,433 |
| Toamasina | 206,373 |
| Antsirabe | 186,253 |
| Fianarantsoa | 167,227 |
| Mahajanga | 154,657 |
| Toliara | 115,319 |
| Antsiranana | 82,937 |
| Antanifotsy | 70,626 |
| Ambovombe | 66,818 |
| Ambilobe | 56,000 |
Madagascar is a large island located in Southeastern Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is the fourth largest island in the world and is heavily populated as well. As of late 2012 and early 2013, its population was estimated to be around 22,005,222. In 2014, it is estimated to have 23,752,887. Over the course of the past few years, it has shown a steady increase in its population every year.
One of its largest age groups in Madagascar lies in the age 25-54 bracket (around 30.8% of the total population), which provides it with a large labor force that is available to take a large number of jobs and help in its development. The young population, comprising of all individuals in the 15-24 years old age bracket, make up around 20.6% of the total population. As a result, it can be clearly seen that Madagascar comprises mainly of youngsters and young adults who take up more than 50% of the total population. Apart from having more able hands to take on different jobs, this large bracket of young individuals provides Madagascar with the opportunity to develop itself more, as long as the youngsters are given the right tools to develop themselves first.
There is a lot of ethnic diversity present in Madagascar as well. Many Europeans, especially the French, have decided to make it their home. As Madagascar was once a French colony, it is easy to imagine generations of French-speaking inhabitants choosing to live in Madagascar. Moreover, many Indians have also begun to arrive in Madagascar, mainly for trading reasons, but they are now permanently moving in.
Madagascar is a richly populated country with many people from diverse backgrounds. This has helped it showcase a multitude of rituals and cultures and has given rise to a multi-ethnic population.
Madagascar’s religious situation is fairly unique because just over half of the country’s population still practice indigenous beliefs, which emphasize the relationship between the living and the dead and worships a supreme being named Andriamanitra. In addition to these traditional practices, 41% of the population are practicing Christians, 7% are Muslim.
Madagascar’s growing economy is rooted in the agricultural, tourism, textile and mining industries and is considered a market economy. It has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world since 2016, largely due to their abundance of natural resources.
Madagascar was initially habituated by Austronesian seafarers. It was predominantly uninhabited; however, it did contain more than 18 separate tribal groups. Among them, the largest of the tribes is Betsilio, which originally had 2 million inhabitants, followed closely by the Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety and Sakalava tribes. All of these different tribes highlight the ethnic diversity that is prevalent in this region.