Country explorer: Madagascar
EXPERIMENTAL
2024
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Overview
Madagascar is a biodiverse, low-income country in Africa with a medium-sized population. Its economy has been volatile in recent decades, and is based on agriculture, fishing and tourism.
Madagascar has the unique distinction of being one of the world's largest islands, known for its rich biodiversity.
Economy
Madagascar has experienced fluctuating economic growth, with significant variances in GDP per capita, divergent trends in population distribution across poverty thresholds, varying unemployment rates, and inconsistent inflation rates, underscoring its unique economic volatility compared to its peers.
Demographics
Madagascar has experienced significant population growth, consistently low net migration, declining fertility rates, and improved life expectancy, trends that align with general patterns seen in other low-income countries, illustrating development amidst challenges.
Basic needs
Madagascar has seen modest improvements in access to basic needs such as electricity and safely managed drinking water, but it lags significantly behind its peers in access to clean cooking fuels and safely managed sanitation, highlighting ongoing challenges in equitable development and environmental health.
Human development
Madagascar has made modest but steady progress in human development indicators such as the Human Development Index, child mortality rates, and literacy rates, reflecting gradual improvements in living standards, education, and health, similar to patterns observed in other low-income countries.
Environment & energy
Madagascar has seen a steady decrease in its forest area and per capita renewable freshwater resources, alongside moderate fluctuations in CO₂ emissions and a slow transition towards renewable energy, highlighting challenges in environmental conservation and sustainable development common among low-income countries.
Technology & innovation
Madagascar has shown moderate progress in technological adaptation and innovation, evidenced by gradual increases in internet usage and mobile phone subscriptions, yet remains below the average trajectory of low-income countries, with minimal investment in research and development and a low rate of scientific publications per million people.
Culture & society
Madagascar has witnessed a modest improvement in gender equality and a slight increase in self-reported life satisfaction, against a backdrop of a high but gradually decreasing age dependency ratio, all while maintaining one of the world's lowest proportions of foreign-born population, reflecting a unique blend of insularity and gradual socio-economic progress.
Governance
Madagascar has experienced fluctuations in the rule of law, notable challenges in combating corruption, a significant journey towards improving political civil liberties despite some setbacks, and a generally improving landscape for press freedom, indicating a complex trajectory of governance reforms and societal shifts, not entirely dissimilar from its regional peers but marked by its unique fluctuations and challenges.