Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Madagascar

Madagascar: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 32.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
32.9%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
206th
of 238 countries
All-time high
32.9%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Madagascar, 1000–2025

0102030100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Madagascar recorded 32.9% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Madagascar peaked at 32.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

Madagascar ranks 206th of 238 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1600s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1700s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1710s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1720s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1730s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1740s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1750s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1760s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1770s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1780s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
1790s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1800s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1810s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1820s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1830s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1840s 2.9% 2.9% 2.9% 1
1850s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1860s 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
1870s 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% 1
1880s 4.1% 4.1% 4.1% 1
1890s 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 1
1900s 4.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1
1910s 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 1
1920s 5.9% 5.9% 5.9% 1
1930s 6.5% 6.5% 6.5% 1
1940s 7.1% 7.1% 7.1% 1
1950s 9.2% 7.8% 10.5% 10
1960s 12.3% 10.8% 13.7% 10
1970s 16.2% 14.1% 18.1% 10
1980s 20.1% 18.5% 21.6% 10
1990s 23.3% 21.9% 24.7% 10
2000s 26.3% 25.0% 27.6% 10
2010s 29.0% 27.9% 30.3% 10
2020s 31.8% 30.7% 32.9% 6

Countries ranked near Madagascar

  1. 203 Jersey 34.5% compare
  2. 204 Comoros 33.9% compare
  3. 205 Bangladesh 33.2% compare
  4. 207 Mali 32.2% compare
  5. 208 Kenya 32.2% compare
  6. 209 Uganda 31.9% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for Madagascar

All data for Madagascar →

Frequently asked questions

What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Madagascar?
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Madagascar was 32.9% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Madagascar?
The highest recorded value was 32.9% in 2025.
What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Madagascar?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Madagascar rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
Madagascar ranks 206th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Madagascar?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Madagascar data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Do more people live in urban or rural areas?
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.