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The U.S. State Department released the 2023 International Religious Freedom Report on Madagascar yesterday.
The U.S. government estimates the total population to be 28.8 million (as of mid-2023). According to 2021 data from the Pew Research Center, 85.3% of the population are Christian, 3% are Muslim, 4.5% adhere to traditional Malagasy religious beliefs, and 6.9% have no religious affiliation. Alternating religious identities or mixed traditions are common, with many people combining traditional beliefs with Christian or Muslim faiths.
Local data and estimates indicate a significant Muslim population, reportedly between 15% and 25% of the population. Muslims are concentrated in the northwest and southeast coastal areas. Christians predominate in the highlands and other coastal areas. Most Muslims are Sunni, but there are some small Shia communities scattered throughout the country, including recent converts to Islam.
About 50% of the population is devoutly Christian, divided into Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Anglican and other branches. Smaller groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also attended the meeting. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has about 200,000 members, and local evangelical Protestant denominations are experiencing significant growth, such as the Church of Revelation, which has about 2.6 million followers nationwide.
Finally, the presence of other religious groups, such as Hindus and a small Jewish community of about 350-400 people, also contributes to Madagascar’s religious mosaic. The State guarantees freedom of thought and religious expression in the Constitution, protects personal beliefs from abuse, and allows religious groups to register to promote their activities and development.
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