Madagascar: People & Society#
| Population | 24,430,325 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Malagasy (singular and plural) adjective: Malagasy |
| Ethnic groups | Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran |
| Languages | French (official), Malagasy (official), English |
| Religions | Christian, indigenous believer, Muslim note: population largely practices Christianity or an indigenous religion; small share of population is Muslim |
| Demographic profile | Madagascar’s youthful population – just over 60% are under the age of 25 – and high total fertility rate of more than 4 children per women ensures that the Malagasy population will continue its rapid growth trajectory for the foreseeable future. The population is predominantly rural and poor; chronic malnutrition is prevalent, and large families are the norm. Many young Malagasy girls are withdrawn from school, marry early (often pressured to do so by their parents), and soon begin having children. Early childbearing, coupled with Madagascar’s widespread poverty and lack of access to skilled health care providers during delivery, increases the risk of death and serious health problems for young mothers and their babies. Child marriage perpetuates gender inequality and is prevalent among the poor, the uneducated, and rural households – as of 2013, of Malagasy women aged 20 to 24, more than 40% were married and more than a third had given birth by the age of 18. Although the legal age for marriage is 18, parental consent is often given for earlier marriages or the law is flouted, especially in rural areas that make up nearly 65% of the country. Forms of arranged marriage whereby young girls are married to older men in exchange for oxen or money are traditional. If a union does not work out, a girl can be placed in another marriage, but the dowry paid to her family diminishes with each unsuccessful marriage. Madagascar’s population consists of 18 main ethnic groups, all of whom speak the same Malagasy language. Most Malagasy are multi-ethnic, however, reflecting the island’s diversity of settlers and historical contacts (see Background). Madagascar’s legacy of hierarchical societies practicing domestic slavery (most notably the Merina Kingdom of the 16th to the 19th century) is evident today in persistent class tension, with some ethnic groups maintaining a caste system. Slave descendants are vulnerable to unequal access to education and jobs, despite Madagascar’s constitutional guarantee of free compulsory primary education and its being party to several international conventions on human rights. Historical distinctions also remain between central highlanders and coastal people. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 40.17% (male 4,947,260/female 4,865,379) 15-24 years: 20.44% (male 2,503,395/female 2,489,482) 25-54 years: 31.83% (male 3,889,063/female 3,887,633) 55-64 years: 4.31% (male 511,336/female 540,868) 65 years and over: 3.26% (male 360,520/female 435,389) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 80.3% youth dependency ratio: 75.2% elderly dependency ratio: 5.1% potential support ratio: 19.5% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 19.5 years male: 19.3 years female: 19.7 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.54% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 32.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 35.1% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 4.69% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | ANTANANARIVO (capital) 2.61 million (2015) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 19.5 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2008/09 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 353 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 42.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 38.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 65.9 years male: 64.4 years female: 67.4 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.12 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 39.9% (2008/09) |
| Health expenditures | 3% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 0.16 physicians/1,000 population (2007) |
| Hospital bed density | 0.2 beds/1,000 population (2010) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 81.6% of population rural: 35.3% of population total: 51.5% of population unimproved: urban: 18.4% of population rural: 64.7% of population total: 48.5% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 18% of population rural: 8.7% of population total: 12% of population unimproved: urban: 82% of population rural: 91.3% of population total: 88% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.36% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 47,900 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 3,200 (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 4.6% (2014) |
| Education expenditures | 2.1% of GDP (2013) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 64.7% male: 66.7% female: 62.6% (2015 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2012) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 1,827,423 percentage: 28% note: data represent children ages 5-17 (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 2.6% male: 2.2% female: 3% (2012 est.) |