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Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026

Madagascar: Gender & Equality

How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?

Madagascar is placed 100th of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 81.25 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.704 (2025).

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Gender & Equality

100th

of 183 countries placed

Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics

Country Index 2026, all topics164th of 183 →

01The evidence

The 4 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Madagascar on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys

  1. Key 1 of 4

    Women, Business and the Law

    World Bank Group

    Why it is a key

    2026 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0

    81.25

    WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)

    Higher is better

    Madagascar: 81.25. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 3.125 (Afghanistan) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.

    World median
    81.25
    Best in Eastern Africa
    91.88 Rwanda

  2. Key 2 of 4

    Women's Political Empowerment Index

    V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg

    Why it is a key

    2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0

    0.704

    Women's political empowerment index (0–1)

    Higher is better

    Madagascar: 0.704. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.

    World median
    0.772
    Best in Eastern Africa
    0.908 Seychelles

  3. Key 3 of 4

    Firms with a Female Top Manager

    World Bank Group

    Why it is a key

    Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Madagascar’s is from 2022 · CC BY 4.0

    37.34

    Firms with a female top manager (%)

    Higher is better

    Madagascar: 37.34. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.

    World median
    19.16
    Best in Eastern Africa
    37.34 Madagascar

  4. Key 4 of 4

    Social Institutions and Gender Index

    OECD

    Why it is a key

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause

    41

    SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)

    Lower is better

    Madagascar: 41. Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.

    World median
    25.2
    Best in Eastern Africa
    19 Rwanda

03In context

Madagascar beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, never a place within the region.

Eastern Africa
1st183rdNot placed · 41 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on gender & equality

Madagascar and Eastern Africa

Madagascar has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 183; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.

CountryStandingWomen, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1)Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%)Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Seychelles=43rd79.380.90826.31—
Rwanda60th91.880.62628.119
Mauritius72nd89.380.81418.08—
Zimbabwe86th86.880.72717.7719.3
Mozambique=97th79.380.72521.3220.7
Madagascar100th81.250.70437.3441
Zambia103rd83.750.79118.4229.5
Kenya=106th83.750.80417.7532.9
Uganda108th80.630.63622.6127.4
Djibouti110th71.250.58431.61—
Tanzania115th81.250.83417.5149.6
Malawi=125th800.75513.5131.5
Ethiopia127th800.69116.4430.8
Burundi142nd76.250.6531140.7
Comoros144th650.55620.5554.7
South Sudan=151st73.750.47610.5540.6
Eritrea165th69.380.1517.647—
Somalia=168th55.630.3379.17251.3
Somalilandnot placed—0.468——

“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is

Placed either side on gender & equality

The countries immediately above and below Madagascar in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Madagascar is ahead of the world, and behind

22 more statistics filed under gender & equality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Ahead of the world median1

Statistics on which Madagascar does better than the middle country measured.

  • Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3682.91No real change since 2015

    Madagascar: 82.91 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.

    Position 1st of 182 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

Behind the world median12

Statistics on which Madagascar does worse than the middle country measured.

  • Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2566.9▲ Improved since 2013

    Madagascar: 66.9 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.

    Position 109th of 196 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.934▼ Worsened since 2013

    Madagascar: 0.934 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.

    Position 134th of 184 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.1224.24No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 24.24 · world median 35.12 · Firms with at least one woman among the owners (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.

    Published values in that edition run from 1.273 to 86.78; higher is better.

    Position 134th of 181 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2026 dataset

  • Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His WifeUNICEF · 2025 · world median 22.440.6No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 40.6 · world median 22.4 · Women aged 15-49 who say a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 1.2 to 80.2; lower is better.

    Position 32nd of 125 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to LandFAO · 2025 · world median 32No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 2 · world median 3 · Level of legal guarantees of women's equal rights to land ownership and control, 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 1 to 6; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four VisitsUNICEF · 2025 · world median 8159.9No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 59.9 · world median 81 · Women with a live birth who had 4+ antenatal visits (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 22.6 to 100; higher is better.

    Position 122nd of 153 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.584▼ Worsened since 2021

    Madagascar: 0.584 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.

    Ranked 156th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Child MarriageUNICEF · 2025 · world median 17.138.8No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 38.8 · world median 17.1 · Women 20–24 married before 18 (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.3; lower is better.

    Position 13th of 143 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.65445.43▼ Worsened since 2013

    Madagascar: 445.43 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.

    Position 12th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Account Ownership Among WomenWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 71.2420.3No real change since 2017

    Madagascar: 20.3 · world median 71.24 · Women with an account (% of women aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 11.91 to 99.85; higher is better.

    Position 133rd of 139 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.938.5No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 38.5 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.46129.8No real change since 2013

    Madagascar: 129.8 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.

    Position 8th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

Level with the median, or no median to compare2

  • Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 33▲ Improved since 2015

    Madagascar: 3 · world median 3 · Paid paternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 196; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2026 dataset

  • Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 9898▼ Worsened since 2015

    Madagascar: 98 · world median 98 · Paid maternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 410; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2026 dataset

No better end7

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Women's Share of Agricultural LandownersFAO · 2025 · world median 25.6442.99No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 42.99 · world median 25.64 · Women's share of owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 2.16 to 57.8.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Female Share of STEM GraduatesUIS · 2023 · world median 35.333.7Moved since 2014

    Madagascar: 33.7 · world median 35.3 · STEM graduates who are women (%; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 8.333 to 55.96.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1733.04No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 33.04 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · 2026 · world median 33.2124.74No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 24.74 · world median 33.21 · Households headed by a woman (% of households). UN DESA Population Division, 2026 edition, data for 2026.

    Published values in that edition run from 5.33 to 64.59.

    Chart and every countryThe 2026 dataset

  • Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1103.8No real change since 2013

    Madagascar: 103.8 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.6520No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 20 · world median 24.65 · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years). UN DESA Population Division, 2019 edition, data for 2019.

    Published values in that edition run from 17 to 34.

    Chart and every countryThe 2019 dataset

  • Caesarean Section RateUNICEF · 2025 · world median 20.652.5No earlier reading

    Madagascar: 2.5 · world median 20.65 · Live births delivered by caesarean section (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 72.2.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

No current reading for Madagascar

Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2021), Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management (last 2022), Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment (last 2023), Gender Social Norms Index, Global Gender Parity Index and Women's Empowerment Index. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing

05Country Index 2026

Gender & Equality among Madagascar’s 16 topics

Gender & Equality is Madagascar’s 3rd best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.

On the profile
  1. Environment & Sustainability43rd of 186
  2. Work & Labourjoint 99th of 182
  3. Gender & Equality100th of 183
  4. Peace & Securityjoint 100th of 177
  5. Energyjoint 98th of 165
  6. Democracy & Civil Liberties144th of 198
  7. Education & Knowledge158th of 198
  8. Digital & Technology164th of 198
  9. Mobility & Trade149th of 177
  10. Governance & Institutions169th of 194
  11. Poverty & Inequality142nd of 159
  12. Food & Agriculture168th of 184
  13. Development & Human Capitaljoint 182nd of 196
  14. Health & Wellbeingjoint 186th of 200
  15. Economy & Innovation171st of 176
  16. Risk & Resiliencejoint 190th of 193

06The top of the list

Who leads on gender & equality

The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Madagascar can most readily be measured against.

All 183 countries
  1. 1

    Latvia

    Northern Europe

    1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Taiwan

    Eastern Asia

    2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys

    Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Italy

    Southern Europe

    3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Africa

    Cabo Verde=34th3/4 keys

  2. Highest in Eastern Africa

    Seychelles=43rd3/4 keys

  3. This page

    Madagascar100th4/4 keys

Positions out of 183 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

07Questions

Madagascar on gender & equality: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Madagascar rank on gender & equality?

Madagascar is placed 100th of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index, Firms with a Female Top Manager and Social Institutions and Gender Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Madagascar?

81.25 in 2025 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.

What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Madagascar?

0.704 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.

How have Madagascar’s gender & equality figures changed?

Women, Business and the Law rose from 43.13 in 2000 to 81.25 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.666 in 2000 to 0.704 in 2025.

Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Madagascar?

No current reading is published for Madagascar on Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment, Gender Social Norms Index, Global Gender Parity Index and Women's Empowerment Index. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

08Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.

About gender & equality, in full

How the Gender & Equality standing is decided

A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.

The gender & equality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built

The key statistics and their licences

The other 22 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Madagascar’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Madagascar: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/madagascar/gender

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