Country page · Sub-Saharan Africa
If you were born in Madagascar
1 in 129 babies · 0.77% of births · about 1,038,338 a year
Right now, about 0.77% of the world's babies are born in Madagascar — 1 in 129, or roughly 1,038,338 a year and 2,845 a day. Life expectancy there is 63.8 years.
How the 1 in 129 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Madagascar has about 1,038,338 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.77% — 1 in 129. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Madagascar, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 65.6 · men 62.1 | 63.8 years | 152nd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 62.4 / 1,000 | 6.2% | 152nd lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 43.0 / 1,000 | 4.3% | 150th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 445 | 159th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 3.91 | 147th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 10.2 years | 135th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 6.1% | 148th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $1,952 | 162nd highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 36.80 | 67th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 32.9% | 151st highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 69.2% | 167th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 18.7% | 159th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | — | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 27.4% | 77th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.50% | 57th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 25.6% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Madagascar compared with Sub-Saharan Africa
Life expectancy in Madagascar is 63.8 years, against a Sub-Saharan Africa average of 0.0. The under-5 death rate is 6.2%, versus 0.0% across the region. Income per person is $1,952, against $0 regionally; expected schooling is 10.2 years against 0.0. 32.9% of people live in cities, against 0.0% in the region.
| Indicator | Madagascar | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 63.8 years old | — | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 6.2% | — | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $1,952 | — | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 10.2 years | — | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 32.9% | — | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 63.8 years on average, with roughly 62.4 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 10.2 years of school, and income per person is around $1,952. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Madagascar
The game draws Madagascar in about 1 of every 129 births. From there the life runs year by year: 63.8 years of life expectancy on average, a 6.2% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $1,952 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Niger — 1 in 116
- Chance of being born in Côte d'Ivoire — 1 in 130
- Chance of being born in Cameroon — 1 in 135
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.