Land use in Madagascar
Madagascar: Land use was 3.60 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.60 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
71st
of 224 countries
All-time high
3.60 million hectares
in 2005
All-time low
2.15 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Madagascar, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Madagascar recorded 3.60 million hectares for land use in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Madagascar peaked at 3.60 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2.15 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Madagascar 71st out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.15 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.17 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 2.19 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2.22 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 2.25 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 2.27 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 2.29 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.32 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 2.35 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 2.37 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 2.39 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 2.42 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 2.44 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 2.48 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 2.76 million hectares | +11.5% |
| 1976 | 2.76 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 2.93 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 1978 | 3.00 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 3.02 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 3.04 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 3.08 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 3.10 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 3.13 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 3.16 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 3.19 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 3.22 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 3.24 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 3.27 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 3.29 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 3.33 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 3.35 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 3.37 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 3.49 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 3.48 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 3.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.48 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.49 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 3.49 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.50 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.55 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.55 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3.55 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3.55 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.60 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.60 million hectares | +0.0% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 3.60 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.60 million hectares, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 3.60 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.25 million hectares | 2.15 million hectares | 2.35 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.66 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.17 million hectares | 3.04 million hectares | 3.29 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.45 million hectares | 3.33 million hectares | 3.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.57 million hectares | 3.50 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.60 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.60 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 3.60 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More environment data for Madagascar
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.297 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.17 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.2369 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Madagascar?
- Land use in Madagascar was 3.60 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 3.60 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.15 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Madagascar rank for land use?
- Madagascar ranks 71st out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Madagascar data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).