Social situation More than three quarters of the people live in extreme poverty

    Madagascar is one of world's least developed countries. On the Human Development Index (HDI), it is ranked 177th out of 193 countries. In the past few years, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global disruptions and high inflation caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine have dramatically exacerbated the situation of Madagascar's people.

    In Ambovombe, Madagascar, a World Food Programme worker uses a special measuring tape to determine the level of malnutrition in a four-year-old.

    In Ambovombe, Madagascar, a World Food Programme worker uses a special measuring tape to determine the level of malnutrition in a four-year-old

    Annual gross national income per capita is 517 US dollars, far below the average for other sub-Saharan African countries. More than three quarters of the population are living in extreme poverty. The share of poor people is particularly high in rural areas. The situation varies between regions, with the south being particularly affected by poverty. The high level of population growth is putting additional pressure on economic and natural resources. Since the country became independent in 1960, the population has grown sixfold, from about 5 million to nearly 30 million.

    About half of all people are food insecure. Among under-five-year-olds, nearly one in two children is affected by chronic malnutrition – one of the highest rates in the world. Almost half of the people have no access to safe drinking water, and only 12 per cent have access to basic sanitation.

    According to UNICEF, nearly half of all children between the ages of 5 and 17 have to work. In the vanilla plantations and in the quarries, tens of thousands of children are working under what are sometimes slavery-like conditions. Currently, about one third of all children do not complete primary school.


    As at: 12/01/2024