Rural population in Madagascar
Madagascar: Rural population was 58.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Madagascar, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Madagascar recorded 58.8% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Madagascar peaked at 85.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 58.8%, in 2024.
Madagascar ranks 47th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 83.9% | 81.9% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 79.3% | 77.0% | 81.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 74.5% | 73.1% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.1% | 68.7% | 72.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.1% | 62.1% | 68.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.1% | 58.8% | 61.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More population data for Madagascar
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.436 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 6.06 million (2100)
- Population density 146.69 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.436 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2896 % change on previous year (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 3.91 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 83 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 3.91 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 3.91 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception, annual growth rate -1.51 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Madagascar?
- Rural population in Madagascar was 58.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 85.9% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.8% in 2024.
- How does Madagascar rank for rural population?
- Madagascar ranks 47th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release