According to current projections, Madagascar’s population is expected to continue to grow through the rest of the century. At a current population of about 27.69 million people, Madagascar is expected to grow to 54 million by 2050 and 99.96 million by 2100.
Madagascar is currently growing at a rate of 2.68% per year. This is driven by its high fertility rate of 4.11 births per woman.
Madagascar’s rapid population growth is putting the country under immense stress. Many people already live in poverty in Madagascar, the economy has stalled, and health care and education are struggling. Additionally, infrastructure has deteriorated, tax revenues have decreased despite the population increasing, and food insecurity is endangered.
The number of births per year in Madagascar greatly overshadows the number of deaths. According to a number of estimates, the number of births per year from 2005 to 2010 was around 698,000. That is why it comes as no surprise that the largest age bracket in Madagascar belongs to children in the region of 0-14 years. They make up around 40.1% of the total population. With such a large number of births per year and a lesser number of deaths per year, the population is greatly increasing with every passing year.
Due to such a large population, providing education for everyone may prove to be a significant challenge. Nevertheless, Madagascar boasts of an 80% literacy rate. Around 88% of the male population is literate, as well as 73% of the female population. Also, these statistics are rising every year, which signifies the level of development currently happening in Madagascar, regardless of the political turmoil it has faced over the years.
Madagascar's history of significant population growth is expected to continue in the years to come, although the rate should decrease somewhat. It is projected that the current growth rate of 2.69% will get down to 2% by 2045. It is forecast that the population will be 27,690,798 by 2020, 35,591,943 by 2030, and 44,367,656 by 2040.
| Madagascar Population (as of 10/2/2023) | 30,512,258 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2023) | 30,325,732 |
| Births per Day | 2,514 |
| Deaths per Day | 525 |
| Migrations per Day | -4 |
| Net Change per Day | 1,984 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 545,600 |
Net increase of 1 person every 44 seconds
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 34 seconds | |
| One death every 2.75 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 360 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 44 seconds |
Madagascar is a large island, with several peripheral islands, that is off the east coast of Africa close to Mozambique. The cumulative area of the country is 226,658 square miles (587,021 square kilometers). Madagascar's population density is 118.84 people per square mile (45.89 people per square kilometer), making it the 135th most densely populated country in the world.
Madagascar's capital city of Antananarivo is by far the country's largest city with a population of 1,391,433. The percentage of the population living in urban areas in a fairly low 36.5%, so it makes sense that there aren't any other cities with populations over one million. This may actually be a good thing, because healthcare, education, water, and sanitation quality are all worse for urban cities in the country.
The cities of Toamasina, Antsirabe, and Mahajanga are all of similar size with populations between 200,000 and 300,000. Fianarantsoa, Toliara, Antsiranana, and Ambovombe all have populations above 100,000.
20.3
Total
20.1
Male
20.5
Female
There are people over age 18 in Madagascar.
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.