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Madagascar
Republic of Madagascar · Eastern Africa
At a glance
CapitalAntananarivo
Most common first languageMalagasy99.9% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languagesMalagasy, French
Currencyariary
Drives on theright
Highest pointMaromokotro2,876 m
Biggest category of goods exportedores and metals33% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports37.3%of everything sold abroad, 2024
TerritoryEntirely islandsno part on a continental mainland
Internet domain.mg
Facts about Madagascar
Every species of lemur on Earth is native to it.
Source: IUCN; lemurs endemic to Madagascar · checked 2026-08-08Madagascar is the world's largest producer of vanilla.
Source: fao.org · checked 2026-08-08Madagascar by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 32.7m (2025) | 49th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $19.6bn (2025) | 135th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 582k km² (2023) | 44th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $122m (2024) | 130th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $4.19bn (2025) | 134th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 23.5m (2023) | 57th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 124k km² (2023) | 48th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 409k km² (2023) | 26th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 5 Mt (2024) | 139th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 10.8m (2025) | 61st of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 63.8 years (2024) | 188th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $599 (2025) | 202nd of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 18.7% (2024) | 181st of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 8.1% (2025) | 32nd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 3.0% (2025) | 144th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 32.9% (2025) | 181st of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 3.91 (2024) | 26th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 0.71% of GDP (2024) | 135th of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 54.2% of GDP (2025) | 136th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.14 t (2024) | 185th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.487 (2023) | 183rd of 193 |
Land borders
None. Everything that leaves Madagascar goes by sea or by air.
Across the water
Close by sea, with no shared land border.
Madagascar shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Is made up entirely of islands 58Shares no land border 51Has french as an official language 28Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports ores and metals 14Is in eastern africa 17
Madagascar in the Daily Ceteris
Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Madagascar.
Which country is the world's largest producer of vanilla?
Madagascar grows more vanilla than the rest of the world combined, and its 'Bourbon' vanilla is the global benchmark — while Mexico, vanilla's original home, now produces only a small fraction. source
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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