World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Madagascar 5.3 times
Madagascar: 591,896 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Madagascar’s coastline is 11 times as long as the median country’s
Madagascar: 4,828 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Madagascar’s highest peak towers 541 m above the median country’s
Madagascar: 2,876 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 70% of Madagascar, versus 38% of the median country
Madagascar: 70.4% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Madagascar has 4.4 times as many people as the median country
Madagascar: 32.7 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 75% more densely populated than Madagascar
Madagascar: 56 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 8.4 cm taller than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 165.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 7.5 cm taller than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 153.1 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 12 years older than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 18.9 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Madagascar have 2.0 more children on average than in the median country
Madagascar: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.5% in Madagascar
Madagascar: 3.5% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 309 times as many refugees per resident as Madagascar
Madagascar: 0.0027 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Madagascar has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
Madagascar: 0.3 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Madagascar has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Madagascar: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 2.3 times the size of Madagascar’s
Madagascar: $19.6 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 11 times as much per person as Madagascar
Madagascar: Int$1,952 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Madagascar than in the median country (Gini 2.4 points higher)
Madagascar: 36.8 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
69% of people in Madagascar live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Madagascar: 69.2% (2021) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.0% in Madagascar
Madagascar: 3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Madagascar 0.6%
Madagascar: 0.6% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Madagascar’s 11%
Madagascar: 10.9% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Madagascar’s
Madagascar: 31% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 27 times as much on health per person as Madagascar
Madagascar: $17 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 11 years longer than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 63.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Madagascar is 3.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country
Madagascar: 43 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 9.7 times as many doctors per person as Madagascar
Madagascar: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Madagascar: no data · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Madagascar is 70% higher than in the median country
Madagascar: 17 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 4.1% in Madagascar
Madagascar: 4.1% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
26% of adults in Madagascar smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Madagascar: 25.6% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.66 points higher than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 4.17 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 6 times as much alcohol as in Madagascar
Madagascar: 0.7 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 11 times as much meat per person as Madagascar
Madagascar: 5.3 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 960 kcal more food per person per day than Madagascar
Madagascar: 1,978 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 175 more hours a year than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 1,799 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 5.3 years longer than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 4.6 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 25 times as many tourists per resident as Madagascar (2019)
Madagascar: 0.01 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Madagascar and the median country are practically level
Madagascar: 3 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, Madagascar none
Madagascar: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 19% in Madagascar
Madagascar: 19% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 3 times as fast as in Madagascar
Madagascar: 54 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 43% in Madagascar
Madagascar: 42.5% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 33% in Madagascar
Madagascar: 33% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Madagascar 75
Madagascar: 75 (2023) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 3.2 times as long as Madagascar’s
Madagascar: 673 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 25 times as many passengers per resident as those from Madagascar
Madagascar: 0.01 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 17% of Madagascar
Madagascar: 17.3% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 21 times as much CO₂ as someone in Madagascar
Madagascar: 0.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
42% of Madagascar’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Madagascar: 42.4% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 43% more fine dust than in Madagascar
Madagascar: 11.6 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Madagascar: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Madagascar are 81% deadlier than in the median country
Madagascar: 33.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Madagascar and the median country are practically level
Madagascar: 23°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Madagascar gets 37% more rain than the median country
Madagascar: 1,384 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Madagascar bigger than the median country?
Madagascar is larger. The median country fits inside Madagascar 5.3 times.
Which has more people, Madagascar or the median country?
Madagascar has 4.4 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Madagascar or the median country?
People in the median country live 11 years longer than in Madagascar. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Madagascar and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Madagascar or the median country?
Men in the median country are 8.4 cm taller than in Madagascar (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).