Madagascar vs United States
United States is 16.7 times larger than Madagascar. Madagascar would fit into United States about 17 times.
MadagascarUnited StatesMadagascar moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.06×
Madagascar is 0.06× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 16.7× the size of Madagascar.
 Madagascar |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 16.7× the area | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 10.4× the population | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMadagascar: 1.6× the density | 56 / km²#131 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 2.44× the urban share | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMadagascar: 2.4× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMadagascar: 1.88 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMadagascar: 2.99× the birth rate | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.2× the death rate | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Madagascar: 21.8 points higher | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 14.9 points higher | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 3.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 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 expectancyUnited States: 15.1 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMadagascar: 7.82× the infant mortality | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 21.6× the doctors per person | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 13× the university enrolment | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.451 higher | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 159× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 1,568× the economy | $19.62B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 46.1× the output per person | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMadagascar: 0.8 points higher | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMadagascar: 5.2 points higher | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentUnited States: 1.4× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMadagascar: 62.9× the share in extreme poverty | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United States: 5.0 higher | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 67.7 points higher | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 9.0 points higher | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 58.7 points higher | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMadagascar: 3.5 points higher | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMadagascar: 10.3 points higher | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 5.03× the military spending | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 5.06× the share online | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 1.51× the mobile subscriptions | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 1.95× the forest share | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 90.8× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMadagascar: 72.2 points higher | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 57.5 points higher | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Madagascar: 1.77× the air pollution | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUnited States: 0.1 points higher | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 11.4 points higher | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 2.5× the water stress | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 2.12× the rain and snow | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited States: 0.22 higher | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 1.91 higher | −1.04#157 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Antananarivo | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Ariary (MGA) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | French, Malagasy | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +261 | +1 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Madagascar is 16.7 times smaller than United States. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Madagascar fit into United States?
- About 17 times: United States has 16.7× the area of Madagascar.
- Why do Madagascar and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 32,740,678. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Madagascar or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 159× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Madagascar or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 63.8 — 15.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Madagascar and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Madagascar: semi-presidential republic; United States: presidential republic.