Demographics of Madagascar
Encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic
features of the population
of Madagascar
, including population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Madagascar
's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian and East Africa
n origin.
and East Africa
. Other historians believe that the Malays crossed the Indian Ocean
and only reached the African mainland after having established durable communities on Madagascar. Subsequent migrations from both the Malay Archipelago and Africa further consolidated this original mixture, and 18 separate tribal groups emerged. Austronesian features are most predominant in the central highlands people, the Merina
(3 million) and the Betsileo
(2 million); the remaining 16 tribal groupings are coastal peoples (côtiers) who are predominantly of East Africa
n origin, with various Malay, Arab, European and Indian admixtures. The largest coastal groups are the Betsimisaraka
(1.5 million) and the Tsimihety
and Sakalava
(700,000 each). Malagasy society has long been polarized between the politically and economically advantaged highlanders of the central plateaux and the côtiers along the coast. For example in the 1970s there was widespread opposition among côtiers against the policy of Malgachisation which intended to phase out the use of the French language in public life in favour of a more prominent position for the Malagasy language
, whose orthography
is based on the Merina dialect. Identity politics
were also at the core of the brief civil unrest during 2002.
The Malagasy language is of Malayo-Polynesia
n origin and is spoken throughout the island. French also is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony, primarily as a prestigious second language.
Indians
in Madagascar descend mostly from traders who arrived in the newly-independent nation looking for better opportunities. The majority of them came from the west coast of India known as Karana
(Muslim) and Banian (Hindu). The majority speak Hindi
or Gujarati
, and though some other Indian dialects also exist. the younger generations speak at least three languages, including French, Gujarati and Malagasy. A large number of the Indians in Madagascar have a high level of education, particularly the younger generation.
A sizeable number of Europeans also reside in Madagascar
, mostly of French
descent.
Most people practice traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. They believe that the dead join their ancestors in the ranks of divinity and that ancestors are intensely concerned with the fate of their living descendants. This spiritual communion is celebrated by the Merina and Betsileo reburial practice of famadihana
, or "turning over the dead." In this ritual, relatives' remains are removed from the family tomb, rewrapped in new silk shrouds, and returned to the tomb following festive ceremonies in their honor. In the festivities, they eat, drink, and literally dance with the dead. After one or two days of celebrating, they shower the body with gifts and re-bury it.
About 45% of the Malagasy are Christian
, divided almost evenly between Roman Catholic and Protestant, but there are also Orthodox Christians
. Many incorporate
the cult of the dead with their other religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the traditional burial rites. They also may invite a pastor to attend a famadihana. A historical rivalry exists between the predominantly Catholic masses, considered to be underprivileged, and the predominantly Protestant Merina aristocrats, who tend to prevail in the civil service, business, and professions.
Islam has been well-established in what is now known as Madagascar
for centuries and today Muslims represent 10 to 15 percent of the population.
A new policy of decentralizing resources and authority is intended to enhance the development potential of all Madagascar's provinces. Provincial Council members were elected by popular vote in December 2000. In March 2001, the new Provincial Council members joined mayors and communal council members in each province in electing Senators to represent them in the national parliament. Governors were elected by Electoral College in June 2001. Transfer of Duties and Establishments of budgets are now in progress.
See also: Christianity in Madagascar, Islam in Madagascar
, Hinduism in Madagascar
, and Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar
.
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population:
18,652,000 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
45% (male 3,504,562; female
3,481,056)
15-64 years:
52% (male 3,964,564; female 4,052,056)
65 years and over:
3% (male 237,691; female 266,543) (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.69% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
37.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
9.79 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.89 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
65.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
59.45 years
male:
57.72 years
female:
61.33 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.02 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective:
Malagasy
Ethnic groups:
Malayo-Indonesian (Merina
and related Betsileo
), Côtiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian
, and Arab
ancestry - Betsimisaraka
, Tsimihety
, Antaisaka, Sakalava
), French
, Desi
, Creole
, Comorian
, Chinese
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian
41%, Muslim
7%
Languages:
Malagasy
(official, and national language), French
(official), English
(official)
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
80%
male:
88%
female:
73% (1990 est.)
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, including population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n origin.
Ethnicity
Recent research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Austronesian seafarers arrived around the first century A.D., probably by way of southern IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. Other historians believe that the Malays crossed the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and only reached the African mainland after having established durable communities on Madagascar. Subsequent migrations from both the Malay Archipelago and Africa further consolidated this original mixture, and 18 separate tribal groups emerged. Austronesian features are most predominant in the central highlands people, the Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
(3 million) and the Betsileo
Betsileo
The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population, numbering around 1.5 million and making up about 12.1 percent of the population. Their name means "The Many Invincible Ones" which they chose for themselves after the failed invasion of Ramitraho...
(2 million); the remaining 16 tribal groupings are coastal peoples (côtiers) who are predominantly of East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n origin, with various Malay, Arab, European and Indian admixtures. The largest coastal groups are the Betsimisaraka
Betsimisaraka
The Betsimisaraka make up approximately fifteen percent of the Malagasy people and are the second largest ethnic group in Madagascar after the Merina....
(1.5 million) and the Tsimihety
Tsimihety
The Tsimihety are a Malagasy ethnic group located near the north-central coast of Madagascar. Their name means "those who do not cut their hair," in reference to their refusal to adhere to the customs imposed by the rule of Merina King Radama I., numbering around one million The Tsimihety are a...
and Sakalava
Sakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
(700,000 each). Malagasy society has long been polarized between the politically and economically advantaged highlanders of the central plateaux and the côtiers along the coast. For example in the 1970s there was widespread opposition among côtiers against the policy of Malgachisation which intended to phase out the use of the French language in public life in favour of a more prominent position for the Malagasy language
Malagasy language
Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...
, whose orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
is based on the Merina dialect. Identity politics
Identity politics
Identity politics are political arguments that focus upon the self interest and perspectives of self-identified social interest groups and ways in which people's politics may be shaped by aspects of their identity through race, class, religion, sexual orientation or traditional dominance...
were also at the core of the brief civil unrest during 2002.
The Malagasy language is of Malayo-Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
n origin and is spoken throughout the island. French also is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony, primarily as a prestigious second language.
Indians
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
in Madagascar descend mostly from traders who arrived in the newly-independent nation looking for better opportunities. The majority of them came from the west coast of India known as Karana
Karana
Karana may refer to:*Karana dance, poses in classical Indian dance*Karana, the main character in Scott O'Dell's novel Island of the Blue Dolphins, who is based on the historical Juana Maria*Karrana, a village in Bahrain...
(Muslim) and Banian (Hindu). The majority speak Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
or Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, and though some other Indian dialects also exist. the younger generations speak at least three languages, including French, Gujarati and Malagasy. A large number of the Indians in Madagascar have a high level of education, particularly the younger generation.
A sizeable number of Europeans also reside in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, mostly of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
descent.
Religion
Most people practice traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. They believe that the dead join their ancestors in the ranks of divinity and that ancestors are intensely concerned with the fate of their living descendants. This spiritual communion is celebrated by the Merina and Betsileo reburial practice of famadihana
Famadihana
Famadihana is a funerary tradition of the Malagasy people in Madagascar. Known as the turning of the bones, people bring forth the bodies of their ancestors from the family crypts and rewrap them in fresh cloth, then dance with the corpses around the tomb to live music.The Famadihana custom...
, or "turning over the dead." In this ritual, relatives' remains are removed from the family tomb, rewrapped in new silk shrouds, and returned to the tomb following festive ceremonies in their honor. In the festivities, they eat, drink, and literally dance with the dead. After one or two days of celebrating, they shower the body with gifts and re-bury it.
About 45% of the Malagasy are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, divided almost evenly between Roman Catholic and Protestant, but there are also Orthodox Christians
Orthodox Christianity in Madagascar
Christianity in Madagascar was spreading slowly. First, because of the people being faithful followers of the tribal religions. Even converted followers may show great influence of ancient tribal worship...
. Many incorporate
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
the cult of the dead with their other religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the traditional burial rites. They also may invite a pastor to attend a famadihana. A historical rivalry exists between the predominantly Catholic masses, considered to be underprivileged, and the predominantly Protestant Merina aristocrats, who tend to prevail in the civil service, business, and professions.
Islam has been well-established in what is now known as Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
for centuries and today Muslims represent 10 to 15 percent of the population.
A new policy of decentralizing resources and authority is intended to enhance the development potential of all Madagascar's provinces. Provincial Council members were elected by popular vote in December 2000. In March 2001, the new Provincial Council members joined mayors and communal council members in each province in electing Senators to represent them in the national parliament. Governors were elected by Electoral College in June 2001. Transfer of Duties and Establishments of budgets are now in progress.
See also: Christianity in Madagascar, Islam in Madagascar
Islam in Madagascar
Islam has been well-established in what is now known as Madagascar for centuries and today Muslims represent 7 percent of the population. Muslims mainly consist of Sunni Muslims.-Settlement of Arabs:...
, Hinduism in Madagascar
Hinduism in Madagascar
The history of Hinduism in Madagascar began with the arrival of primarily Gujarati from the Saurashtra region of India as far back as 1900, at which time Madagascar was a French colony known as Malagache...
, and Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar
Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar
The Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar begins with the mention by `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, who asked the followers of the Bahá'í Faith to travel to Madagascar. The first Bahá'í to pioneer to Madagascar arrived in 1953 and following native converts the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly...
.
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
Population:
18,652,000 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
45% (male 3,504,562; female
Women in Madagascar
Women in Madagascar generally live longer than men, whom they outnumber. Marrying young, they are traditionally subservient to their husbands. Roughly a third have their first child before the age of 19, and those who wish to delay having children may not have access to contraceptives. Abortion is...
3,481,056)
15-64 years:
52% (male 3,964,564; female 4,052,056)
65 years and over:
3% (male 237,691; female 266,543) (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.69% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
37.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
9.79 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.89 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
65.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
59.45 years
male:
57.72 years
female:
61.33 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.02 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective:
Malagasy
Ethnic groups:
Malayo-Indonesian (Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
and related Betsileo
Betsileo
The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population, numbering around 1.5 million and making up about 12.1 percent of the population. Their name means "The Many Invincible Ones" which they chose for themselves after the failed invasion of Ramitraho...
), Côtiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
ancestry - Betsimisaraka
Betsimisaraka
The Betsimisaraka make up approximately fifteen percent of the Malagasy people and are the second largest ethnic group in Madagascar after the Merina....
, Tsimihety
Tsimihety
The Tsimihety are a Malagasy ethnic group located near the north-central coast of Madagascar. Their name means "those who do not cut their hair," in reference to their refusal to adhere to the customs imposed by the rule of Merina King Radama I., numbering around one million The Tsimihety are a...
, Antaisaka, Sakalava
Sakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
), French
French people in Madagascar
There is a small but recognizable community of French people in Madagascar, of whom the vast majority are born in Madagascar and are descended from former French settlers and colonists who settled in Madagascar during the 19th and 20th centuries brought by Francois Delouche...
, Desi
Desi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...
, Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
, Comorian
Comorian
Comorian may refer to:* Something of or pertaining to the Comoro Islands, a region of Africa including Comoros* Something or someone of, from, or related to Comoros, a country in the Comoro Islands...
, Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
41%, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
7%
Languages:
Malagasy
Malagasy language
Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...
(official, and national language), French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(official), English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(official)
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
80%
male:
88%
female:
73% (1990 est.)