Ethnic groups of Madagascar

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 African origin.

The problem with population estimation in Madagascar is that data is very old and limited. The last population census was carried out in 1993, after an initial 1975 census. There was an attempt at a census in 2009, but this attempt ultimately failed due to political instability. Therefore, the demographic situation is inferred but reliability of any estimates from any source has a large margin of error. According to the 2010 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 20 714 000 in 2010, compared to only 4 084 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 43.1%, 53.8% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.1% was 65 years or older .

Structure of the population (DHS 2013) (Males 18 875, Females 19 483 = 38 358) :

Numbers are in thousands. UN medium variant projections

Registration of vital events in Madagascar is not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):

Fertility data as of 2008-2009 (DHS Program):

The island of Madagascar is predominantly populated by people broadly classified as belonging to the Malagasy ethno-linguistic group. This group is further subdivided a number of ethnic groups, often into the standard eighteen. In addition, communities of Indians and Arabs have long been established on the island and have assimilated into local communities to varying degrees, in some places having long since become identified "Malagasy" ethnic groups, and in others maintaining distinct identities and cultural separation. More recent arrivals include Europeans and Chinese immigrants.

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