Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Madagascar is 50% bigger than Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 587,295 km² (2023) · Zimbabwe: 390,760 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Madagascar: 4,828 km (2026 edition) · Zimbabwe: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Madagascar’s highest peak towers 284 m above Zimbabwe’s.
Madagascar: 2,876 m (2026 edition) · Zimbabwe: 2,592 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Madagascar has 93% more people than Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 32.7 million (2025) · Zimbabwe: 17 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Madagascar is 28% more densely populated than Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 56 per km² (2025) · Zimbabwe: 44 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Zimbabwe are 5.5 cm taller than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 165.2 cm (2019) · Zimbabwe: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Zimbabwe are 6.8 cm taller than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 153.1 cm (2019) · Zimbabwe: 159.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Madagascar is 1.1 years older than in Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 18.9 years (2023) · Zimbabwe: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Madagascar have 0.2 more children on average than in Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Zimbabwe: 3.67 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Zimbabwe and Madagascar are practically level.
Madagascar: 3.5% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 3.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Zimbabwe has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Madagascar 0.3.
Madagascar: 0.3 (2025) · Zimbabwe: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Zimbabwe has 15 official languages, Madagascar 2.
Madagascar: 2 (2026) · Zimbabwe: 15 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Zimbabwe’s economy is 2.6 times the size of Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: $19.6 billion (2025) · Zimbabwe: $51.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Zimbabwe produces 3.3 times as much per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: Int$1,952 (2025) · Zimbabwe: Int$6,470 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Zimbabwe than in Madagascar (Gini 13.5 points higher).
Madagascar: 36.8 (2021) · Zimbabwe: 50.3 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.3% in Zimbabwe, versus 3.0% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 3% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 9.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Madagascar and Zimbabwe are practically level.
Madagascar: 0.7% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 0.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Zimbabwe’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: 31% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Zimbabwe spends 3.6 times as much on health per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: $17 (2023) · Zimbabwe: $63 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Madagascar live 0.77 years longer than in Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 63.8 years (2024) · Zimbabwe: 63.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Zimbabwe is 45% more likely to die before turning one than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 43 per 1,000 (2024) · Zimbabwe: 62.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Madagascar has 26% more doctors per person than Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Zimbabwe: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Zimbabwe are obese, versus 4.1% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 4.1% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 13.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
26% of adults in Madagascar smoke, versus 11% in Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 25.6% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 11% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Madagascar rate their lives 0.83 points higher than in Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 4.17 (2025) · Zimbabwe: 3.35 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Zimbabwe drink 7.4 times as much alcohol as in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 0.7 litres (2023) · Zimbabwe: 5.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Zimbabwe has 11 times as much meat per person as Madagascar.
Madagascar: 5.3 kg (2023) · Zimbabwe: 57.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Zimbabwe has 415 kcal more food per person per day than Madagascar.
Madagascar: 1,978 kcal (2023) · Zimbabwe: 2,393 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Zimbabwe put in 512 more hours a year than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 1,799 hours (2023) · Zimbabwe: 2,311 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Zimbabwe went to school 4.3 years longer than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 4.6 years (2023) · Zimbabwe: 8.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Madagascar: 0.01 (2019) · Zimbabwe: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
42% of people in Zimbabwe are online, versus 19% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 19% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 42% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
62% of people in Zimbabwe have electricity, versus 43% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 42.5% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 62% (2024)
How many live in cities?
40% of people in Zimbabwe live in cities, versus 33% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 33% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 40% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Zimbabwe has 94 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Madagascar 75.
Madagascar: 75 (2023) · Zimbabwe: 94 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Zimbabwe’s railway network is 4.6 times as long as Madagascar’s.
Madagascar: 673 km (2021) · Zimbabwe: 3,120 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Madagascar fly 75% more passengers per resident than those from Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 0.01 (2023) · Zimbabwe: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 45% of Zimbabwe, but only 21% of Madagascar.
Madagascar: 21.3% (2023) · Zimbabwe: 44.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Zimbabwe emits 5.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 0.1 t (2024) · Zimbabwe: 0.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
57% of Zimbabwe’s electricity is renewable, versus 42% in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 42.4% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 57.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Zimbabwe carries 73% more fine dust than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 11.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Zimbabwe: 20.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Madagascar: no data · Zimbabwe: 6.8 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Zimbabwe are 33% deadlier than in Madagascar.
Madagascar: 22.5 per 100k (2021) · Zimbabwe: 29.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Madagascar is on average 1.0 °C warmer than Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 23°C (2016–2025 avg) · Zimbabwe: 22°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Madagascar gets 84% more rain than Zimbabwe.
Madagascar: 1,384 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Zimbabwe: 751 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Madagascar bigger than Zimbabwe?
Madagascar is larger. Madagascar is 50% bigger than Zimbabwe.
Which has more people, Madagascar or Zimbabwe?
Madagascar has 93% more people than Zimbabwe (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Madagascar or Zimbabwe?
People in Madagascar live 0.77 years longer than in Zimbabwe. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Madagascar and 63.1 in Zimbabwe.
Are people taller in Madagascar or Zimbabwe?
Men in Zimbabwe are 5.5 cm taller than in Madagascar (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
