Madagascar vs Somalia
Somalia is 9% larger than Madagascar.
MadagascarSomaliaMadagascar moved onto Somalia · Equal-area projection
0.92×
Madagascar is 0.92× the area of Somalia. Put the other way, Somalia is 1.09× the size of Madagascar.
 Madagascar |  Somalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSomalia: 1.09× the area | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 | 637,657 km²#43 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMadagascar: 1.67× the population | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 | 19,654,739#67 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMadagascar: 1.81× the density | 56 / km²#131 of 194 | 31 / km²#149 of 194 |
| Urban populationSomalia: 1.67× the urban share | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 | 55%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSomalia: 1.54× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 6.01 per woman#2 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSomalia: 0.94 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +3.34%#8 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSomalia: 1.33× the birth rate | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 | 42.3 per 1,000#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSomalia: 1.29× the death rate | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Somalia: 7.7 points higher | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 | 46.6%#2 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Madagascar: 0.9 points higher | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSomalia: 0.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | +0.6 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSomalia: 2,270× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 45.39 per 1,000#8 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMadagascar: 4.8 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 59.0 years#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySomalia: 1.52× the infant mortality | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 | 65.4 per 1,000 births#4 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexMadagascar: 0.083 higher | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 | 0.404#189 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSomalia: 1.14× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $640#179 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMadagascar: 1.51× the economy | $19.62B2025 | $13B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Madagascar: 1.19× the output per person | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 | $1,643#182 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthThe same | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentSomalia: 6.3× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9%#8 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 39.2 points higher | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 | 30.0% of jobs#60 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySomalia: 7.9 points higher | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 | 17.8% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSomalia: 31.3 points higher | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 | 52.2% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSomalia: 1.9 points higher | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 | 6.4% of GDP#29 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSomalia: 7.9 points higher | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 | 29.2% of GDP#106 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSomalia: 2.48× the military spending | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 | 1.5% of GDP#85 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSomalia: 1.49× the share online | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 | 28%#169 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMadagascar: 1.39× the mobile subscriptions | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 | 54 per 100#179 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMadagascar: 2.22× the forest share | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 | 8% of land#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMadagascar: 3.0× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 0.05 t a year#182 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySomalia: 12.3 points higher | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 | 95.4%#2 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricitySomalia: 11.9 points higher | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 | 54.4%#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Somalia: 1.49× the air pollution | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 | 18.5 µg/m³#95 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMadagascar: 12.8 points higher | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 | 0.0% of land#188 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMadagascar: 3.4 points higher | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 | 1.8% of land#165 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSomalia: 2.17× the water stress | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 | 24.5%#61 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 5.37× the rain and snow | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMadagascar: 1.65 higher | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 | −2.17#190 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMadagascar: 0.65 higher | −1.04#157 of 193 · 2025 | −1.69#192 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Antananarivo | Mogadishu |
| Currency | Ariary (MGA) | Somali shilling (SOS) |
| Official languages | French, Malagasy | Arabic, Somali |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +261 | +252 |
| 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. Madagascar sits at about 19° S and is stretched to 1.12× its true area; Somalia at 5° N is stretched to 1.01×. 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 Madagascar bigger than Somalia?
- No. Madagascar is 8% smaller than Somalia. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Somalia covers 637,657 km².
- How many times does Madagascar fit into Somalia?
- About 1.1 times: Somalia has 1.09× the area of Madagascar.
- Why do Madagascar and Somalia 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 Somalia about 1.01×. 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, Madagascar or Somalia?
- Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 19,654,739. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Somalia 31 per km².
- Which is richer, Madagascar or Somalia?
- By gross national income per person, Somalia: $640 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.14× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Madagascar or Somalia?
- In Madagascar: life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years, against 59.0 — 4.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Madagascar and Somalia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Madagascar: semi-presidential republic; Somalia: parliamentary republic.