Madagascar at its true size
Madagascar covers 587,295 km², number 46 of 194 countries by area. Home to 32,740,678 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 587,295 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,740,678 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 56 per km² |
| Capital | Antananarivo |
| Local time in Antananarivo | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Ariary (MGA) Wikidata |
| Languages | French, Malagasy |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +261 |
| Codes | MG · MDG · 450 |
Weather in Antananarivo now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Madagascar ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#49 of 19433 million people#15 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#131 of 19456 people per km²#31 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#164 of 19233% urban#42 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#26 of 1923.91 births per woman#24 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#26 of 192+2.40% a year#17 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#22 of 19231.7 births per 1,000 people#20 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#86 of 1927.5 deaths per 1,000 people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#29 of 19238.9% under 15#27 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#153 of 1923.5% aged 65 and over#24 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#78 of 192−0.1 per 1,000 people#14 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#145 of 1900.02 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#48 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#171 of 19263.8 years#34 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#21 of 19143.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#19 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#155 of 1780.17 doctors per 1,000 people#31 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#139 of 1456.1% gross enrolment#25 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#180 of 190an index of 0.487#45 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#182 of 185$560 a person#50 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#176 of 18419% online#45 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#178 of 184$1,952 a person#46 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#102 of 187+3.0% a year#41 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#29 of 176+8.1% a year#15 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#138 of 1783.0% of the labour force#40 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#8 of 14969.2% under $3.00 a day#8 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#58 of 149a Gini index of 36.8#30 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#5 of 17869.2% of jobs#5 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#156 of 1789.9% of jobs#37 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#173 of 17820.9% of jobs#48 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#41 of 1844.5% of GDP#14 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#131 of 16821.3% of GDP#32 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#136 of 1550.6% of GDP#43 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#153 of 19175 subscriptions per 100 people#35 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#174 of 1850.15 tonnes a person#45 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#128 of 19217% forest#32 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#9 of 19083.1% renewable#9 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#181 of 19242.5% with electricity#43 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#138 of 19112.4 µg/m³#52 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#133 of 19112.8% of the land protected#34 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#128 of 1905.2% of the land arable#35 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#86 of 17611.3% of its available fresh water#20 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#57 of 1801,513 mm a year#13 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Madagascar’s area, lit up on the map →
- Botswana1.01×Madagascar and Botswana are almost exactly the same size.
- Kenya1.01×Madagascar and Kenya are almost exactly the same size.
- Ukraine0.97×Madagascar and Ukraine are almost exactly the same size.
- Central African Republic0.94×Madagascar is 6% smaller than Central African Republic.
- Somalia0.92×Madagascar is 8% smaller than Somalia.
- France0.91×Madagascar is 9% smaller than France.
How many times does Madagascar fit into…
- Russia: about 29 times
- Canada: about 17 times
- United States: about 17 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Madagascar shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Mangoky564 km
Summits
- Maromokotro2,876 m
- Pic Boby2,658 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Madagascar. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Madagascar
- How big is Madagascar?
- Madagascar covers 587,295 km², which makes it number 46 of 194 countries by area. About 32,740,678 people live there (2025), 56 per km².
- Is Madagascar bigger than Botswana?
- Madagascar and Botswana are almost exactly the same size. Madagascar: 587,295 km²; Botswana: 581,737 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Madagascar?
- Madagascar lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Madagascar have land borders?
- No. Madagascar has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.