Madagascar is the fifth largest island in the world, with a land mass of 587,000 km² and 25.6 million inhabitants. Madagascar has considerable natural resources and the economic growth accelerated over the last five years to reach an estimated 4.8% in 2019, its fastest pace in over a decade.  However, the country’s human capital index ranking is among the lowest worldwide.

Most populations of Madagascar speak Malagasy, the national language, which is written in the Latin alphabet. French is also widely spoken and is officially recognized.