Madagascar vs Sweden
Madagascar is 31% larger than Sweden.
MadagascarSwedenMadagascar moved onto Sweden · Equal-area projection
1.31×
Madagascar is 1.31× the area of Sweden.
 Madagascar |  Sweden | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMadagascar: 1.31× the area | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 | 447,425 km²#56 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMadagascar: 3.09× the population | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 | 10,596,620#93 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMadagascar: 2.35× the density | 56 / km²#131 of 194 | 24 / km²#161 of 194 |
| Urban populationSweden: 2.71× the urban share | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 | 89%#22 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMadagascar: 2.73× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMadagascar: 2.15 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMadagascar: 3.41× the birth rate | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 | 9.3 per 1,000#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSweden: 1.15× the death rate | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 | 8.6 per 1,000#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Madagascar: 22.2 points higher | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 | 16.7%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Sweden: 17.4 points higher | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSweden: 4.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | +4.4 per 1,000#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMadagascar: 2.0× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySweden: 20.3 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 84.1 years#7 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMadagascar: 21.5× the infant mortality | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 | 2.0 per 1,000 births#182 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSweden: 25.9× the doctors per person | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | 4.41 per 1,000#20 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentSweden: 13.8× the university enrolment | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 | 84.0%#17 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSweden: 0.472 higher | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 | 0.959#5 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSweden: 113× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $63,010#12 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSweden: 34.1× the economy | $19.62B2025 | $669B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Sweden: 37.2× the output per person | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 | $72,529#20 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMadagascar: 1.5 points higher | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 | +1.5%#144 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMadagascar: 7.4 points higher | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSweden: 2.9× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 8.7%#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMadagascar: 86.5× the share in extreme poverty | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Madagascar: 7.5 higher | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 | 29.3#125 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 67.4 points higher | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 | 1.8% of jobs#160 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySweden: 6.9 points higher | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 | 16.8% of jobs#118 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSweden: 60.5 points higher | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMadagascar: 1.9 points higher | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSweden: 31.9 points higher | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 | 53.2% of GDP#44 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSweden: 3.98× the military spending | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 | 2.5% of GDP#42 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSweden: 5.12× the share online | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#20 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSweden: 1.88× the mobile subscriptions | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 | 141 per 100#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSweden: 3.97× the forest share | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 | 69% of land#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSweden: 23.8× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 3.57 t a year#73 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMadagascar: 25.2 points higher | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 | 57.9%#40 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySweden: 57.5 points higher | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Madagascar: 2.34× the air pollution | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 | 5.3 µg/m³#181 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSweden: 3.0 points higher | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 | 15.8% of land#110 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSweden: 1.0 points higher | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 | 6.2% of land#121 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMadagascar: 3.14× the water stress | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 | 3.6%#133 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 2.42× the rain and snow | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 | 624 mm#127 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySweden: 1.37 higher | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 | +0.85#46 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSweden: 3.00 higher | −1.04#157 of 193 · 2025 | +1.96#5 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Antananarivo | Stockholm |
| Currency | Ariary (MGA) | Swedish krona (SEK) |
| Official languages | French, Malagasy | Swedish, Finnish, Yiddish, Romani, Sámi, Meänkieli |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +261 | +46 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Northern 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; Sweden at 62° N is stretched to 4.65×. That difference is why Sweden 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 Sweden?
- Yes. Madagascar is 31% larger than Sweden. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Sweden covers 447,425 km².
- How many times does Sweden fit into Madagascar?
- About 1.3 times: Madagascar has 1.31× the area of Sweden.
- Why do Madagascar and Sweden 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 Sweden about 4.65×. That is why Sweden 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 Sweden?
- Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 10,596,620. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Sweden 24 per km².
- Which is richer, Madagascar or Sweden?
- By gross national income per person, Sweden: $63,010 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 113× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Madagascar or Sweden?
- In Sweden: life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years, against 63.8 — 20.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Madagascar and Sweden have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Madagascar: semi-presidential republic; Sweden: constitutional monarchy.