Madagascar population pyramid 2026
33,522,052 people in 2026 (projected). Madagascar’s pyramid is a smooth, wide-based triangle with no notches or bulges: a population shaped almost entirely by high fertility and falling mortality.
- 2026 population
- 33.5Mrank 49 of 237
- Median age
- 19.4 yearsoldest rank 206
- Fertility rate
- 3.78births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Youthful3.5% age 65+
Madagascar population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Madagascar age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 38.6% of the population, while 3.5% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 57.8% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Madagascar’s age structure as youthful; the guide to expansive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 72.9: about 73 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (66.8 children and 6.1 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Madagascar’s population pyramid
A textbook expansive shape
Madagascar’s pyramid is unusually regular. In 2026 each five-year band is smaller than the one beneath it all the way to the top, and the UN series shows no cohort that stands out as unusually large or small. That smoothness says something about the island’s demographic history: there has been no sudden fertility collapse, no baby boom and no mass migration large enough to leave a mark. Net emigration from 2000 to 2023 was about 110,000, against nearly 20 million births. The shape is close to that of Ethiopia, Sudan and Senegal, and it is a clean example of the expansive population pyramid.
Why the base got wider before it began to narrow
Fertility has declined only gradually, from about 7.4 children per woman in 1950 to about 4.0 in 2023. Over the same period life expectancy rose from about 40 to about 64 years, and infant mortality fell from about 140 to 45 per 1,000 births. Because far more children survived, the population actually became younger for several decades: the share under 15 rose from about 39% in 1950 to 45% in 2000, and the median age fell to about 15.5 in 1975. It was still only about 16 in 2000 and has since risen to about 19 in 2026.
The Madagascar 1950 pyramid has one oddity. Men outnumber women by roughly 25% at ages 20–44, while women are the majority from 50 upward, and the same male-heavy cohorts appear 25 years older in 1975. The chart alone cannot establish why; estimates for that period rest on limited census and survey data, and the pattern disappears in later decades.
Growth built into the structure
With about 1.03 million births and fewer than 250,000 deaths expected in 2026, the population grows by about 2.3% a year. The medium scenario takes it from about 33.5 million today to 53 million in 2050 and roughly 85 million in 2100, still rising at the end of the century. Even as fertility is projected to fall towards 2.1, the very large cohorts now under 15 will themselves become parents, so the pyramid becomes more rectangular at the bottom long before it stops growing.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Madagascar’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
In the UN medium scenario births outnumber deaths in every year through 2100. Children under 15 outnumber people aged 65 and older in every pyramid year through 2100.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Madagascar is projected to record 1,033,723 births (about one birth every 31 seconds) and 246,621 deaths, a natural increase of 787,102. Net migration adds −2,665 people, ranking #107 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 19,960,822 births, 4,530,415 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −110,072. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −134,964 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 66.1 years40.7 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 62.5 years38.6 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 14.0 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 42.6per 1,000 births · 140 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 62.0per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 27.8 yearssex ratio at birth 103.8
Women in Madagascar are projected to live 3.6 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 140 to 42.6 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #22 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 27.8 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Madagascar
The median age of 19.4 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 3.78 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 64.3 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 33,522,052 | #49 | Largest first |
| Median age | 19.4 years | #206 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 3.78 | #27 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +2.3% | #24 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 64.3 years | #215 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 3.5% | #196 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Madagascar
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | 4,774,660 | 14.2% | 2.4M / 2.4M |
| 2 | 5–9 | 4,323,252 | 12.9% | 2.2M / 2.1M |
| 3 | 10–14 | 3,855,285 | 11.5% | 2M / 1.9M |
| 4 | 15–19 | 3,561,265 | 10.6% | 1.8M / 1.8M |
| 5 | 20–24 | 3,138,473 | 9.4% | 1.6M / 1.6M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Madagascar has 16,813,694 males and 16,708,357 females. That is 100.6 males per 100 females, ranking #69 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.2% of the population and females for 49.8%. There are 105,337 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 87.1 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 103.8 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Madagascar has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 3,956,074 in 1950 to 33,522,052 in 2026, a change of 747%. Over the same span, median age moved from 19.7 to 19.4 years.
The under-15 share changed from 38.8% to 38.6%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.3% to 3.5%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the Madagascar population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Madagascar’s population is projected to grow by about 59%, reaching 53,185,475 in 2050. The median age changes from 19.4 to 24.2 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 1.9 percentage points to 5.4%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 31.3%. The Madagascar population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The population is still rising at the end of the UN medium projection in 2100, when it reaches 85,341,148. The page therefore does not assign a peak year beyond the available horizon.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3,956,074 | 19.7 | 7.43 | 39.7 | 196,927 | 96,828 | 0 | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 5,111,029 | 16.8 | 7.34 | 43.3 | 243,495 | 109,811 | 0 | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 6,672,003 | 15.6 | 7.10 | 47.9 | 312,422 | 117,534 | −2,658 | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 9,006,032 | 15.4 | 6.84 | 50.0 | 421,612 | 146,321 | −4,005 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 12,055,639 | 15.8 | 6.14 | 52.1 | 531,725 | 171,103 | −1,777 | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 16,516,338 | 16.1 | 5.66 | 58.0 | 693,681 | 172,819 | −4,298 | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 22,183,340 | 16.7 | 4.90 | 62.6 | 815,149 | 173,609 | −1,979 | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 28,953,556 | 18.4 | 4.17 | 62.7 | 964,457 | 227,845 | −1,480 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 31,195,932 | 18.9 | 3.97 | 63.6 | 1,001,244 | 234,841 | −1,487 | +2.5% |
| 2024* | 31,964,956 | 19.0 | 3.91 | 63.8 | 1,013,751 | 238,824 | −1,795 | +2.4% |
| 2026* | 33,522,052 | 19.4 | 3.78 | 64.3 | 1,033,723 | 246,621 | −2,665 | +2.3% |
| 2030* | 36,693,183 | 20.1 | 3.56 | 65.0 | 1,068,175 | 263,857 | −3,866 | +2.2% |
| 2040* | 44,846,895 | 22.0 | 3.12 | 66.8 | 1,149,221 | 313,807 | −6,106 | +1.9% |
| 2050* | 53,185,475 | 24.2 | 2.82 | 68.3 | 1,216,551 | 376,117 | −7,599 | +1.6% |
| 2060* | 61,352,873 | 26.4 | 2.59 | 69.6 | 1,259,016 | 454,247 | −9,185 | +1.3% |
| 2070* | 68,926,090 | 28.4 | 2.41 | 70.9 | 1,271,947 | 548,748 | −10,882 | +1.0% |
| 2080* | 75,512,394 | 30.5 | 2.25 | 72.2 | 1,266,325 | 653,929 | −12,251 | +0.8% |
| 2090* | 80,992,578 | 32.4 | 2.15 | 73.5 | 1,252,668 | 745,648 | −14,215 | +0.6% |
| 2100* | 85,341,148 | 34.2 | 2.06 | 74.7 | 1,219,160 | 834,282 | −13,080 | +0.4% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 2,420,819 | 2,353,841 | 4,774,660 | 14.2% |
| 5–9 | 2,189,885 | 2,133,367 | 4,323,252 | 12.9% |
| 10–14 | 1,951,654 | 1,903,631 | 3,855,285 | 11.5% |
| 15–19 | 1,798,001 | 1,763,264 | 3,561,265 | 10.6% |
| 20–24 | 1,579,348 | 1,559,125 | 3,138,473 | 9.4% |
| 25–29 | 1,429,159 | 1,416,775 | 2,845,934 | 8.5% |
| 30–34 | 1,182,523 | 1,176,043 | 2,358,566 | 7.0% |
| 35–39 | 947,932 | 945,506 | 1,893,438 | 5.6% |
| 40–44 | 791,520 | 793,564 | 1,585,084 | 4.7% |
| 45–49 | 674,835 | 683,635 | 1,358,470 | 4.1% |
| 50–54 | 550,546 | 563,723 | 1,114,269 | 3.3% |
| 55–59 | 424,055 | 440,889 | 864,944 | 2.6% |
| 60–64 | 321,308 | 341,240 | 662,548 | 2.0% |
| 65–69 | 243,383 | 266,018 | 509,401 | 1.5% |
| 70–74 | 166,433 | 188,364 | 354,797 | 1.1% |
| 75–79 | 89,237 | 106,833 | 196,070 | 0.6% |
| 80–84 | 35,804 | 47,400 | 83,204 | 0.2% |
| 85–89 | 13,707 | 19,220 | 32,927 | 0.1% |
| 90–94 | 3,184 | 5,167 | 8,351 | 0.0% |
| 95–99 | 348 | 709 | 1,057 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 17 | 44 | 61 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Madagascar’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Sudan99% overlap · median age 18.8
- Ethiopia98% overlap · median age 19.3
- Senegal98% overlap · median age 19.8
- Sierra Leone98% overlap · median age 19.9
- Togo98% overlap · median age 19.2
- Guinea98% overlap · median age 18.5
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Madagascar.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Madagascar Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/madagascar/
MLA
“Madagascar Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/madagascar/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Madagascar Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/madagascar/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Madagascar in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Madagascar's population in 2026 is projected at 33,522,052.
What is the median age in Madagascar?
The projected median age in Madagascar in 2026 is 19.4 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Madagascar?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 3.78 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Madagascar's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 59%, from 33.5M to 53.2M.
What share of Madagascar is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 3.5% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 5.4%.
How many babies are born in Madagascar each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 1,033,723 births and 246,621 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 31 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 787,102.
What is life expectancy in Madagascar for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 66.1 years for women and 62.5 years for men, a gap of 3.6 years in favour of women.
Does Madagascar have more immigrants or emigrants?
Madagascar is projected to lose about 2,665 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −110,072.
What is the sex ratio in Madagascar?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 100.6 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.