Literacy rate in Madagascar
Madagascar: Literacy rate was 74.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
74.7%
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
98th
of 128 countries
All-time high
76.7%
in 2018
All-time low
32.5%
in 1950
Years of data
5
1950–2021
Literacy rate in Madagascar, 1950–2021
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Madagascar recorded 74.7% for literacy rate in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Madagascar peaked at 76.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 32.5%, in 1950.
That places Madagascar 98th out of 128 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 32.5% | 32.5% | 32.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 70.7% | 70.7% | 70.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 74.1% | 71.6% | 76.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 74.7% | 74.7% | 74.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More education data for Madagascar
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.9% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.6% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 132.7% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 138,648 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.91 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 135.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Madagascar?
- Literacy rate in Madagascar was 74.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 76.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.5% in 1950.
- How does Madagascar rank for literacy rate?
- Madagascar ranks 98th out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Madagascar data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.