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Reference
Madagascar Facts and Figures from Encarta
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Madagascar
Capital Antananarivo
Area 587,041 sq km
226,658 sq mi
Madagascar
People
Population 16,979,744 (2003 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 3.03 percent (2003 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 32,965,970 (2025 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 65,460,246 (2050 estimate)
Population density 29 persons per sq km (2003 estimate)
75 persons per sq mi (2003 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 30 percent (2001 estimate)
Share rural 70 percent (2001 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Antananarivo 1,103,304 (1993)
Ethnic groups
Merina 27 percent
Betsimisaraka 15 percent
Betsileo 12 percent
Tsimihety 7 percent
Sakalava 6 percent
Antaisaka 5 percent
Other 28 percent
Languages
French (official), Malagasy (official), Hova and other dialects
Religious affiliations
Indigenous beliefs 48 percent
Protestant 26 percent
Roman Catholic 23 percent
Muslim 2 percent
Other 1 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 56.1 years (2003 estimate)
Female 58.5 years (2003 estimate)
Male 53.8 years (2003 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 80 deaths per 1,000 live births (2003 estimate)
Population per physician 9,344 people (1996)
Population per hospital bed 1,068 people (1990)
Literacy rate
Total 66.5 percent (2000 estimate)
Female 59.7 percent (2000 estimate)
Male 73.6 percent (2000 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 5.9 percent (1999-2000)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 9 years (2000)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 48 students per teacher (1999-2000)
Government
Form of government Multiparty republic
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 19 August 1992; amended 1995, 1998
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel 13,500 (2001)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1 percent (2001)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $4.6 billion (2001)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $290 (2001)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 29.8 percent (2001)
Industry 14.5 percent (2001)
Services 55.7 percent (2001)
Employment
Number of workers 7,556,531 (2001)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 77 percent (1999)
Industry 6 percent (1999)
Services 18 percent (1999)
Unemployment rate Not available
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $453.3 million (2000)
Total expenditure $662 million (2000)
Monetary unit
1 Malagasy franc (FMG), consisting of 100 centimes
Major trade partners for exports
France, United States, Germany, Indonesia, and Singapore
Major trade partners for imports
France, Mauritius, China, Hong Kong SAR, and South Africa
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 36.14 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 63.86 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 209 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 4 (2001)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 25 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.14 (2001)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 4 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 5.7 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 12 percent (1999)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.