Madagascar vs Russia
Russia is 29.1 times larger than Madagascar. Madagascar would fit into Russia about 29 times.
MadagascarRussiaMadagascar moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.03×
Madagascar is 0.03× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 29.1× the size of Madagascar.
 Madagascar |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 29.1× the area | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 4.38× the population | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMadagascar: 6.63× the density | 56 / km²#131 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 2.29× the urban share | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMadagascar: 2.75× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMadagascar: 2.51 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMadagascar: 3.77× the birth rate | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.65× the death rate | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Madagascar: 21.9 points higher | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 14.3 points higher | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMadagascar: 1.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 34.5× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 9.6 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMadagascar: 10.5× the infant mortality | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 30.1× the doctors per person | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRussia: 9.9× the university enrolment | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.345 higher | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 28.5× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 131× the economy | $19.62B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 25.4× the output per person | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMadagascar: 2.0 points higher | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 0.6 points higher | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMadagascar: 1.43× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMadagascar: 692× the share in extreme poverty | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Madagascar: 3.8 higher | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 64.1 points higher | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 15.9 points higher | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 48.2 points higher | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMadagascar: 4.1 points higher | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMadagascar: 3.1 points higher | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 12.1× the military spending | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 5.05× the share online | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 2.48× the mobile subscriptions | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 2.94× the forest share | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 93.2× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMadagascar: 79.6 points higher | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 57.5 points higher | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Madagascar: 1.07× the air pollution | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMadagascar: 1.3 points higher | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRussia: 2.2 points higher | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMadagascar: 2.76× the water stress | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 3.29× the rain and snow | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMadagascar: 0.42 higher | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRussia: 0.06 higher | −1.04#157 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Antananarivo | Moscow |
| Currency | Ariary (MGA) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | French, Malagasy | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +261 | +7 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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. Madagascar sits at about 19° S and is stretched to 1.12× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Madagascar. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Madagascar bigger than Russia?
- No. Madagascar is 29.1 times smaller than Russia. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Madagascar fit into Russia?
- About 29 times: Russia has 29.1× the area of Madagascar.
- Why do Madagascar and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Madagascar is drawn about 1.12× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Madagascar. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Madagascar or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 32,740,678. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Madagascar or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 28.5× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Madagascar or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 63.8 — 9.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Madagascar and Russia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: semi-presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).