Languages spoken in Madagascar
Africa · Capital: Antananarivo · Population 29.5 million
In Madagascar, three languages have official status: Malagasy, French, and English. Malagasy is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 90% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 26.5 million people. After Malagasy, the most widely spoken are French at 27% and English at 18%. Malagasy belongs to the Austronesian language family. In total, three languages are recorded in Madagascar, and their shares add up to 135% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.4 of them.
What languages are spoken in Madagascar?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| MalagasyAustronesian | 90% | Official | 26.5 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 27% | Official | 8 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 18% | Official | 5.3 million |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Madagascar?
In Madagascar, three languages have official status: Malagasy, French, and English. Malagasy is spoken by an estimated 90% of the population, or roughly 26.5 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Malagasy in Madagascar?
An estimated 90% of Madagascar's 29.5 million people speak Malagasy, which works out at roughly 26.5 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Madagascar
- Capital
- Antananarivo
- Population
- 29.5 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 587,041 km²
- Currency
- MGA
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- MG / MDG / 450
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.