Polity · 1960 CE – present
Madagascar
République de Madagascar · Repoblikan'i Madagaskar · Madagasikara
Also recorded as Republic of Madagascar
- Peak recorded area
- 594,566 km²
- 1912 CE
- Rulers on record
- 29
- from 1959 CE
- Data series
- 407
- 1960 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country in the Indian Ocean that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's fourth-largest island, the second-largest island country, and the 46th-largest country overall. Its capital and largest city is Antananarivo.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
5 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. Cliopatria holds 2 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 60 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population221 obs · 1000 CE–2025 CE | 32.7Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 64.04years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -2,227persons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2.38% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 65.82years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 62.31years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 159 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP200 obs · 1820 CE–2019 CE | 1,547int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 19.6Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita73 obs · 1950 CE–2022 CE | 1,367.092011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Gross Capital Formation % GDP65 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 22.22%_gdp2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Asses Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 164head2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 7Mhead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 32 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP63 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 0.7086% of GDP2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Military Expenditure Usd63 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 121.6Mcurrent US$2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| CINC Score57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0.0009CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 5.1Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 58Mcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 68 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 5.16% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Coal Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 0TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 21.3% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 70.29%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.0962hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 40.9Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 29 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index208 obs · 1817 CE–2024 CE | 0.417index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index208 obs · 1817 CE–2024 CE | 0.221index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index208 obs · 1817 CE–2024 CE | 0.247index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index208 obs · 1817 CE–2024 CE | 0.255index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 1RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity253 obs · 1960 CE–2012 CE | 0index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 59 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index208 obs · 1817 CE–2024 CE | 0.705index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Railway Passenger Km108 obs · 1868 CE–1990 CE | 198passenger-km1990 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Line Km94 obs · 1905 CE–1998 CE | 1,030km1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Freight Tkm82 obs · 1900 CE–1990 CE | 209tonne-km1990 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Electricity Production68 obs · 1931 CE–1998 CE | 691MGWh1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Mail Items56 obs · 1928 CE–1986 CE | 42items1986 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
29 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Philibert TsirananaPresident of Madagascar1959 CE – 1972 CE
- Gabriel RamanantsoaPresident of Madagascar1972 CE – 1975 CE
- Didier RatsirakaPresident of Madagascar1975 CE – 1993 CE
- Gilles AndriamahazoPresident of Madagascar1975 CE
- Richard RatsimandravaPresident of Madagascar1975 CE
- Guy RazanamasyPrime Minister of Madagascar1991 CE – 1993 CE
- Albert ZafyPresident of Madagascar1993 CE – 1996 CE
- Emmanuel RakotovahinyPrime Minister of Madagascar1995 CE – 1996 CE
- Norbert RatsirahonanaPresident of Madagascar1996 CE – 1997 CE
- Tantely AndrianarivoPrime Minister of Madagascar1998 CE – 2002 CE
- Marc RavalomananaPresident of Madagascar2002 CE – 2009 CE
- Charles RabemananjaraPrime Minister of Madagascar2007 CE – 2009 CE
- Albert Camille VitalPrime Minister of Madagascar2009 CE – 2011 CE
- Andry RajoelinaHead of State2009 CE – 2014 CE
- Cécile ManorohantaPrime Minister of Madagascar2009 CE
- Eugène MangalazaPrime Minister of Madagascar2009 CE
- Hyppolite RamarosonPresident of Madagascar2009 CE
- Monja RoindefoPrime Minister of Madagascar2009 CE
- Hyppolite RamarosonDeputy Prime Minister of Madagascar2010 CE – 2011 CE
- Omer BerizikyPrime Minister of Madagascar2011 CE – 2014 CE
- Hery RajaonarimampianinaHead of State2014 CE – 2019 CE
- Roger KoloPrime Minister of Madagascar2014 CE – 2015 CE
- Jean RavelonarivoPrime Minister of Madagascar2015 CE – 2016 CE
- Olivier Mahafaly SolonandrasanaPrime Minister of Madagascar2016 CE – 2018 CE
- Christian NtsayPrime Minister of Madagascar2018 CE – 2025 CE
- Rivo RakotovaoPresident of Madagascar2018 CE – 2019 CE
- Herintsalama RajaonariveloPrime Minister of Madagascar2025 CE –
- Michael RandrianirinaHead of State2025 CE –
- Ruphin ZafisamboHead of Government2025 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
- Government type
- semi-presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: Michael RANDRIANIRINA (Col.); head of government: Prime Minister Herintsalama RAJAONARIVELO (since 22 October 2025); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister;
- Ethnic groups
- Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran
- Natural resources
- graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
- Economy
- low-income East African island economy; natural resource rich; extreme poverty; return of political stability has helped growth; sharp tax revenue drop due to COVID-19; leading vanilla producer; environmentally fragile
Language & currency
- Currency
- Malagasy ariary (MGA)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1960 CE –
- 14-member Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1961 CE – 1964 CE
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member2002 CE –
- SADCSADCEconomic bloc · member2005 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Madagascar is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.