Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar

Madagascar: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 39.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
39.3%
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
166th
of 202 countries
All-time high
39.3%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar, 1000–2025

010203040100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar stood at 39.3%. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 18.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar peaked at 39.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

Madagascar ranks 166th of 202 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar, 1000 to 2025.
Year % Change
1000 0.0%
1100 0.0% +200.0%
1200 0.0% +200.0%
1300 0.0% +200.0%
1400 0.0% +200.0%
1500 0.1% +200.0%
1600 0.3% +200.0%
1700 0.8% +200.0%
1710 0.9% +12.7%
1720 1.0% +9.5%
1730 1.1% +9.5%
1740 1.2% +9.5%
1750 1.3% +9.5%
1760 1.4% +9.5%
1770 1.5% +9.5%
1780 1.7% +9.5%
1790 1.8% +9.5%
1800 2.0% +9.5%
1810 2.2% +9.5%
1820 2.4% +9.5%
1830 2.6% +9.5%
1840 2.9% +9.5%
1850 3.1% +9.5%
1860 3.4% +9.5%
1870 3.8% +9.5%
1880 4.1% +9.5%
1890 4.5% +9.5%
1900 4.9% +9.5%
1910 5.4% +9.5%
1920 5.9% +9.5%
1930 6.5% +9.5%
1940 7.1% +9.5%
1950 7.8% +9.5%
1951 8.0% +3.2%
1952 8.3% +3.2%
1953 8.6% +3.2%
1954 8.8% +3.2%
1955 9.1% +3.2%
1956 9.4% +3.2%
1957 9.7% +3.1%
1958 10.0% +3.1%
1959 10.3% +3.1%
1960 10.6% +3.1%
1961 11.0% +3.1%
1962 11.3% +3.1%
1963 11.7% +3.0%
1964 12.0% +3.0%
1965 12.4% +3.0%
1966 12.7% +2.9%
1967 13.0% +2.5%
1968 13.4% +2.5%
1969 13.7% +2.5%
1970 14.0% +2.5%
1971 14.4% +2.9%
1972 14.9% +3.0%
1973 15.3% +3.1%
1974 15.8% +3.2%
1975 16.3% +3.2%
1976 16.7% +2.5%
1977 17.1% +2.5%
1978 17.6% +2.6%
1979 18.0% +2.6%
1980 18.5% +2.6%
1981 19.0% +2.4%
1982 19.4% +2.4%
1983 19.9% +2.4%
1984 20.4% +2.5%
1985 20.9% +2.6%
1986 21.4% +2.1%
1987 21.9% +2.3%
1988 22.4% +2.4%
1989 22.9% +2.5%
1990 23.6% +2.6%
1991 24.0% +2.1%
1992 24.6% +2.2%
1993 25.2% +2.3%
1994 25.5% +1.3%
1995 25.8% +1.2%
1996 26.0% +0.7%
1997 26.2% +0.8%
1998 26.4% +0.9%
1999 26.7% +1.0%
2000 27.0% +1.0%
2001 27.3% +1.2%
2002 27.6% +1.2%
2003 27.9% +1.2%
2004 28.3% +1.2%
2005 28.6% +1.1%
2006 28.9% +1.1%
2007 29.2% +1.1%
2008 29.5% +1.1%
2009 29.9% +1.1%
2010 30.2% +1.1%
2011 30.8% +2.0%
2012 31.4% +2.0%
2013 32.0% +1.9%
2014 32.6% +1.9%
2015 33.2% +1.9%
2016 33.8% +1.8%
2017 34.4% +1.8%
2018 35.0% +1.8%
2019 35.6% +1.7%
2020 36.2% +1.7%
2021 36.8% +1.7%
2022 37.5% +1.6%
2023 38.1% +1.6%
2024 38.7% +1.6%
2025 39.3% +1.6%

Madagascar compared with similar countries

  • Madagascar's 39.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 40.5%, 97% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Madagascar's 39.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 46.2%, 85% of the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1100 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1200 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1300 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1400 +200.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1500 +200.0% 0.0% 0.1%
1600 +200.0% 0.1% 0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1600s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1700s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1710s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1720s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1730s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1740s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1750s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1760s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1770s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1780s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
1790s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1800s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1810s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1820s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1830s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1840s 2.9% 2.9% 2.9% 1
1850s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1860s 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
1870s 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% 1
1880s 4.1% 4.1% 4.1% 1
1890s 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 1
1900s 4.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1
1910s 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 1
1920s 5.9% 5.9% 5.9% 1
1930s 6.5% 6.5% 6.5% 1
1940s 7.1% 7.1% 7.1% 1
1950s 9.0% 7.8% 10.3% 10
1960s 12.2% 10.6% 13.7% 10
1970s 16.0% 14.0% 18.0% 10
1980s 20.7% 18.5% 22.9% 10
1990s 25.4% 23.6% 26.7% 10
2000s 28.4% 27.0% 29.9% 10
2010s 32.9% 30.2% 35.6% 10
2020s 37.8% 36.2% 39.3% 6

Countries ranked near Madagascar

  1. 163 Gambia 42.1% compare
  2. 164 Yemen 41.8% compare
  3. 165 Vietnam 39.6% compare
  4. 167 India 38.7% compare
  5. 168 Guinea-Bissau 38.7% compare
  6. 169 Antigua and Barbuda 38.5% compare
  7. 169 Saint Kitts and Nevis 38.5% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Madagascar

All data for Madagascar →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar was 39.3% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Madagascar?
The highest recorded value was 39.3% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Madagascar?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Madagascar rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Madagascar ranks 166th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Madagascar?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Madagascar data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urbanized areas in Madagascar. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/long-term-urban-population-region/madagascar/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.