Kenya vs Madagascar
Madagascar and Kenya are almost exactly the same size.
KenyaMadagascarKenya moved onto Madagascar · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Kenya is 0.99× the area of Madagascar. Put the other way, Madagascar is 1.01× the size of Kenya.
 Kenya |  Madagascar | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 581,309 km²#48 of 194 | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationKenya: 1.76× the population | 57,532,493#26 of 194 · 2025 | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityKenya: 1.78× the density | 99 / km²#90 of 194 | 56 / km²#131 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMadagascar: 1.23× the births per woman | 3.17 per woman#50 of 192 · 2024 | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMadagascar: 0.47 points higher | +1.93%#50 of 192 · 2025 | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMadagascar: 1.17× the birth rate | 27.0 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMadagascar: 1.04× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Madagascar: 2.6 points higher | 36.3%#45 of 192 · 2025 | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Madagascar: 0.5 points higher | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMadagascar: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadKenya: 11.5× the refugees for its size | 0.23 per 1,000#96 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyThe same life expectancy | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMadagascar: 1.26× the infant mortality | 34.2 per 1,000 births#37 of 191 · 2024 | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsKenya: 1.71× the doctors per person | 0.29 per 1,000#138 of 178 · 2023 | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentKenya: 1.7× the university enrolment | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2024 | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexKenya: 0.141 higher | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaKenya: 3.93× the income per person | $2,200#146 of 185 · 2025 | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPKenya: 6.93× the economy | $135.94B2025 | $19.62B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Kenya: 3.59× the output per person | $7,016#141 of 184 · 2025 | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthKenya: 1.6 points higher | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMadagascar: 4.0 points higher | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentKenya: 1.8× the unemployment | 5.4%#80 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMadagascar: 1.52× the share in extreme poverty | 45.5%#13 of 149 · 2022 | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Kenya: 1.7 higher | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2022 | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 23.4 points higher | 45.8% of jobs#28 of 178 · 2025 | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryKenya: 2.6 points higher | 12.5% of jobs#150 of 178 · 2025 | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesKenya: 20.8 points higher | 41.7% of jobs#143 of 178 · 2025 | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMadagascar: 3.7 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMadagascar: 5.5 points higher | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingKenya: 1.73× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#108 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersKenya: 1.87× the share online | 35%#158 of 184 · 2024 | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsKenya: 1.68× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMadagascar: 2.62× the forest share | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personKenya: 2.53× the CO₂ per person | 0.38 t a year#155 of 185 · 2024 | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMadagascar: 15.4 points higher | 67.7%#30 of 190 · 2021 | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityKenya: 34.5 points higher | 77.0%#151 of 192 · 2024 | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Kenya: 1.64× the air pollution | 20.3 µg/m³#79 of 191 · 2023 | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landKenya: 1.1 points higher | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landKenya: 6.3 points higher | 11.5% of land#87 of 190 · 2024 | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressKenya: 2.94× the water stress | 33.2%#50 of 176 · 2022 | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 2.4× the rain and snow | 630 mm#125 of 180 · 2022 | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMadagascar: 0.60 higher | −1.12#168 of 193 · 2025 | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionKenya: 0.18 higher | −0.86#145 of 193 · 2025 | −1.04#157 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 4.9 per 100,000#49 of 146 · 2022 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Nairobi | Antananarivo |
| Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES) | Ariary (MGA) |
| Official languages | English, Swahili | French, Malagasy |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +254 | +261 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Kenya sits at about 1° N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Madagascar at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Kenya bigger than Madagascar?
- No. Kenya and Madagascar are almost exactly the same size. Kenya covers 581,309 km² and Madagascar covers 587,295 km².
- How many times does Kenya fit into Madagascar?
- About 1.0 times: Madagascar has 1.01× the area of Kenya.
- Why do Kenya and Madagascar look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Kenya is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Madagascar about 1.12×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Kenya or Madagascar?
- Kenya: 57,532,493 people against 32,740,678. Density: Kenya 99 per km², Madagascar 56 per km².
- Which is richer, Kenya or Madagascar?
- By gross national income per person, Kenya: $2,200 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.93× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Kenya or Madagascar?
- Life expectancy at birth is the same in both: 63.8 years.
- What kind of government do Kenya and Madagascar have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Kenya: presidential republic; Madagascar: semi-presidential republic.