Rural population in Madagascar
Madagascar: Rural population was 67.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Madagascar, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Madagascar stood at 67.1%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Madagascar peaked at 89.2% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 67.1%, in 2025.
That places Madagascar 29th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 89.2% | — |
| 1961 | 88.8% | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 88.5% | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 88.2% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 87.9% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 87.6% | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 87.3% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 86.9% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 86.6% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 86.3% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 85.9% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 85.5% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 85.0% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 84.4% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 83.9% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 83.5% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 83.1% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 82.7% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 82.3% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 81.9% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 81.5% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 81.1% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 80.8% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 80.4% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 80.1% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 79.7% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 79.4% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 79.1% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 78.7% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 78.4% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 78.1% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 77.8% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 77.5% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 77.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 76.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 76.2% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 75.9% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 75.6% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 75.3% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 75.0% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 74.7% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 74.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 74.1% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 73.8% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 73.5% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 73.2% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 73.0% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 72.7% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 72.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 72.1% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 71.9% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 71.6% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 71.3% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 70.8% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 70.6% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 70.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 70.1% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 69.7% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 69.3% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 68.9% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 68.5% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 68.0% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 67.6% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 67.1% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 87.7% | 86.3% | 89.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 83.8% | 81.9% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 79.9% | 78.4% | 81.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.7% | 75.3% | 78.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.7% | 72.4% | 75.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.0% | 69.7% | 72.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.2% | 67.1% | 69.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More agriculture & rural data for Madagascar
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.217 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 130.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0011 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.671 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Madagascar?
- Rural population in Madagascar was 67.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 89.2% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.1% in 2025.
- How does Madagascar rank for rural population?
- Madagascar ranks 29th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.