Madagascar Population
Madagascar had an estimated population of 32,740,678 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 49th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.40% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +2.40% a year.
Madagascar at a glance
How Madagascar's population is changing
Madagascar's population is growing fast: +2.40% a year, which works out to about +785,059 people per year, or +2,149 a day. Births (31.7 per 1,000) and deaths (7.5 per 1,000) alone would give +2.42% a year; net migration removes about 2,227 people a year (−0.01%). Roughly one in every 251 people on Earth lives in Madagascar.
Population of Madagascar since 1960
In 1960, Madagascar had 5,111,029 people. By 2025 that was 32,740,678 — 6.4× larger. The fastest growth came between 1991 and 2001, when the population rose by 37%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5,111,029 | — |
| 1970 | 6,672,003 | +30.5% |
| 1980 | 9,006,032 | +35.0% |
| 1990 | 12,055,639 | +33.9% |
| 2000 | 16,516,338 | +37.0% |
| 2010 | 22,183,340 | +34.3% |
| 2020 | 28,953,556 | +30.5% |
| 2025 | 32,740,678 | +13.1% |
Madagascar from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Madagascar at about 1,500,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 32,740,682 in 2025 (22× 1800) and projects 85,341,145 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 161% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,500,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,612,685 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,678,373 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 3,956,077 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 16,516,336 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 32,740,682 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 53,185,473 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 72,362,752 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 85,341,145 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Madagascar
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 32,740,678. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 3,916,219 | UN urban centre | 11.96% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Mahajanga | 203,925 | UN urban centre | 0.62% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Fianarantsoa | 203,105 | GeoNames settlement | 0.62% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Ambovombe | 133,818 | UN urban centre | 0.41% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Toliara | 98,510 | UN urban centre | 0.30% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Sambava | 89,003 | GeoNames settlement | 0.27% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Antsiranana | 82,910 | UN urban centre | 0.25% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Imerintsiatosika | 74,085 | GeoNames settlement | 0.23% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Antalaha | 71,898 | GeoNames settlement | 0.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Antanifotsy | 70,626 | GeoNames settlement | 0.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Madagascar compares
Madagascar has almost the same population as Ivory Coast (32,711,547).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Madagascar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #47 |  Ghana | 35,064,272 | +7% | compare → |
| #48 |  Peru | 34,576,665 | +6% | compare → |
| #50 |  Ivory Coast | 32,711,547 | −0% | compare → |
| #51 |  Cameroon | 29,879,337 | −9% | compare → |
Compare Madagascar with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Madagascar
Nearest countries
Madagascar has no land border. Closest by distance:
Comoros 882,847 · 37.1× smaller · compare
Mauritius 1,243,741 · 26.3× smaller · compare
Malawi 22,216,120 · 1.5× smaller · compare
Mozambique 35,631,653 · about the same population · compare
In its region
Madagascar is the 12th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 2.5% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings featuring Madagascar
Cities
Antananarivo, Mahajanga, Fianarantsoa, Ambovombe, Toliara, Sambava, Antsiranana, Imerintsiatosika — all Madagascar's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Madagascar when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.