Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar
Madagascar: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 28.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar stood at 28.4%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar peaked at 28.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.4%, in 1975.
Madagascar ranks 80th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 20.8% | — |
| 1955 | 19.3% | -7.2% |
| 1960 | 20.2% | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 19.2% | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 18.7% | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 18.4% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 19.5% | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 20.8% | +6.4% |
| 1990 | 24.2% | +16.2% |
| 1995 | 24.0% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 22.4% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 21.2% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | +11.3% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 28.4% | +7.8% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 28.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 28.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9%, 98% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 20.0% | 19.3% | 20.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 19.7% | 19.2% | 20.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.5% | 18.4% | 18.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 20.2% | 19.5% | 20.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 24.1% | 24.0% | 24.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.8% | 21.2% | 22.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 24.9% | 23.6% | 26.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 28.4% | 28.4% | 28.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More population data for Madagascar
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.463 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.445 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.153 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.445 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6.06 million people (2100)
- Population density 146.69 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2896 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.671 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Madagascar was 28.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 28.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.4% in 1975.
- How does Madagascar rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Madagascar ranks 80th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Madagascar data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.