The water
Bottled water; treat everything, including ice. Tap water: Not drinkable.
Madagascar
Lemurs, a whole primate lineage that lives in the wild only in Madagascar.
RegionAfricaCurrencyMGAPowerType C/D/M, 230VTap waterNot drinkable
Good
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Farming supports most Malagasy households, with rice grown across the island alongside cassava, maize, beans and leafy greens. The economy rests on smallholder agriculture, though it imports rice in deficit years and the south…Read more
Farming supports most Malagasy households, with rice grown across the island alongside cassava, maize, beans and leafy greens. The economy rests on smallholder agriculture, though it imports rice in deficit years and the south faces chronic food insecurity. Vanilla, cloves and lychees are major cash and export crops.
Local staples
Rice (vary), cassava, zebu beef, romazava stew, ravitoto, breds leafy greens, vanilla.
Markets
Daily and weekly town markets, including the historic zoma market tradition in Antananarivo.
In season
Main rice harvest roughly April to June; vanilla harvested around June to August; lychees May to July.
Wildlife
Madagascar is one of the planet's top biodiversity priorities, with more than 80% of its roughly 14,883 plant species found nowhere else and over 100 lemur species all endemic. Reptiles show over 90% endemism and the island has…Read more
Madagascar is one of the planet's top biodiversity priorities, with more than 80% of its roughly 14,883 plant species found nowhere else and over 100 lemur species all endemic. Reptiles show over 90% endemism and the island has its own carnivores such as the fossa. It is also one of the most threatened biotas on Earth, with around 90% of lemur species at risk of extinction.
Found nowhere else
Lemurs (over 100 species), the fossa, tenrecs, and six of the world's baobab species.
Natural phenomena
Wet Nov–Mar, dry Apr–Oct; the east coast is always humid.
When to go
Dry season.
Getting around
Shared taxi-brousse minibuses on slow, rough roads; domestic flights save days; travel is slow and seasonal.
Good to know
Cash-heavy; MGA. Small notes go a long way.
Safety
Solo female travel: Take care. LGBTQ+: Low.
Only hereLemurs, a whole primate lineage that lives in the wild only in Madagascar.
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
67/100
Good
The Eco Index: Madagascar
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here Lemurs, a whole primate lineage that lives in the wild only in Madagascar.
- Forest cover
- 21.3%
- Land protected
- 7.5%
- Sea protected
- 0.9%
- Organic farmland
- 0.3%
- Found nowhere else
- Lemurs (over 100 species), the fossa, tenrecs, and six of the world's baobab species.
- Renewable power
- 35%
- CO2 per person
- 0.13 t (2023) t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 20.6
- Cleanest air
- Eastern rainforest highlands away from towns.
- Water from
- Bottled water; treat everything, including ice.
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Safe drinking water
- 53.4%
- Cleanest water
- Rivers of the eastern rainforests, such as around Masoala.
- Springs
- Thermal springs at Antsirabe and Ranomafana, whose name means place of hot water.
- In season
- Main rice harvest roughly April to June; vanilla harvested around June to August; lychees May to July.
- Plastic ban
- 2015 decree banning thin plastic bags, with weak enforcement.
- Watch out for
- Illegal rosewood and hardwood logging, wildlife trafficking and unregulated sapphire mining; avoid buying rosewood or tortoiseshell.
- Solo female travel
- Take care
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Low
- Best months
- April to October.
- Getting around
- Shared taxi-brousse minibuses on slow, rough roads; domestic flights save days; travel is slow and seasonal.
- Power
- Type C/D/M, 230V
- Currency
- MGA
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 2/5 | Madagascar's eastern rainforests are among the wettest places in the region, so physical freshwater is abundant in much of the island, yet access is poor. Full assessmentThe World Bank and JMP record only 53.4% of the population using at least basic drinking water in 2020. The semi-arid south suffers recurrent drought that has driven acute food and water crises. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 4/5 | Farming supports most Malagasy households, with rice grown across the island alongside cassava, maize, beans and leafy greens. Full assessmentThe economy rests on smallholder agriculture, though it imports rice in deficit years and the south faces chronic food insecurity. Vanilla, cloves and lychees are major cash and export crops. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 4/5 | The everyday diet centres on rice served with breds (leafy greens), beans, cassava and vegetables, making plant-based eating the default for many households. Full assessmentZebu beef is prized but expensive, so meat is often occasional. Fresh produce is cheap and widely sold in markets. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 2/5 | FiBL records about 103,817 hectares of certified organic farmland, roughly 0.3% of agricultural land in 2020. Full assessmentMuch of this is export-oriented, covering vanilla, cocoa and essential oils. Most smallholder farming is low-input but uncertified. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 2/5 | Terrestrial protected areas covered about 7.5% of land in 2022 and marine protected areas under 1% of territorial waters in 2021 (World Bank), managed through a network of national parks. Full assessmentEnforcement is severely strained, with illegal rosewood logging and slash-and-burn clearance continuing inside and around reserves. Protection on paper substantially outpaces protection on the ground. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 5/5 | Madagascar is one of the planet's top biodiversity priorities, with more than 80% of its roughly 14,883 plant species found nowhere else and over 100 lemur species all endemic. Full assessmentReptiles show over 90% endemism and the island has its own carnivores such as the fossa. It is also one of the most threatened biotas on Earth, with around 90% of lemur species at risk of extinction. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 4/5 | Madagascar has a living natural-fibre tradition of raffia, wild landibe silk, cotton and sisal, used in the lamba wraps worn across the island and in mats and baskets. Full assessmentWeaving and plaiting remain everyday village skills. Single-use plastic has spread, but natural materials still dominate craft production. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 3/5 | Madagascar banned the manufacture, import and sale of thin plastic bags by decree in 2015, though enforcement and litter management remain patchy. Full assessmentAnnual mean PM2.5 was about 20.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 (IQAir), moderate and driven partly by biomass burning and cooking fires. Open dumping and burning of waste are common. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 1/5 | There is no reliable national municipal recycling rate and formal collection systems are minimal, especially outside Antananarivo. Full assessmentRecovery is largely informal, with pickers salvaging metal and plastic. Scored from documented reality rather than a published rate. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Madagascar is one of the lowest carbon emitters on Earth at roughly 0.13 tonnes of CO2 per person, a reflection of very low energy use and limited electrification rather than a clean power … Full assessmentchievement. Its grid is close to 45 per cent renewable, led by hydropower at about 31 per cent, with the rest largely diesel and other thermal generation. The country has a climate pledge and large untapped hydro and solar potential, but energy access and investment remain low. Ultra low emissions lift the score, while a half fossil grid holds it back from the top band. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 4/5 | Malagasy culture is a living blend of Austronesian and African roots, expressed in ancestral customs, famadihana rites and 18 recognised ethnic groups. Full assessmentCommunity-based ecotourism around parks such as Andasibe and Ranomafana channels some guiding and park income to villages. Deep poverty means benefits are fragile and unevenly shared. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 5/5 | Madagascar's Malagasy culture is distinctive and strongly ancestral. Full assessmentHira gasy performances of music, dance and oratory, salegy and tsapiky dance music, and the valiha tube zither are widely alive. Ancestor veneration through the razana is central, expressed in the famadihana turning of the bones ceremony and observed through fady ancestral taboos. Around eighteen ethnic groups sustain these living traditions across the island. |
Before you go
Cash-heavy; MGA. Small notes go a long way.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, Madagascar 21.3% (2023) — source
- World Bank and UNEP-WCMC, Terrestrial protected areas ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, Madagascar 7.5% (2022) — source
- World Bank and UNEP-WCMC, Marine protected areas ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, Madagascar under 1% (2021) — source
- Low Carbon Power, Madagascar low-carbon and renewable electricity about 35% (2022) — source
- WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, At least basic drinking water SH.H2O.BASW.ZS, Madagascar 53.4% (2020) — source
- IQAir, World Air Quality Report, Madagascar PM2.5 20.6 micrograms per cubic metre (2023) — source
- FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture, Madagascar 103,817 ha and 0.3% (2020) — source
- Wikipedia (citing IUCN and scientific assessments), Wildlife of Madagascar, over 80% endemic plants and around 90% of lemurs threatened — source
- Convention on Biological Diversity, Madagascar country profile, species assessed as threatened (2013) — source
- Our World in Data, CO2 country profile: Madagascar source
- Low Carbon Power, Madagascar electricity generation mix source
- African Development Bank, Madagascar energy factsheet source
- UNESCO, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity source
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Madagascar source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Madagascar's Malagasy culture is distinctive and strongly ancestral. Hira gasy performances of music, dance and oratory, salegy and tsapiky dance music, and the valiha tube zither are widely alive. Ancestor veneration through the razana is central, expressed in the famadihana turning of the bones ceremony and observed through fady ancestral taboos. Around eighteen ethnic groups sustain these living traditions across the island.
- Hira gasy performance of music, dance and oratory
- salegy and tsapiky dance music
- valiha tube zither
- famadihana turning of the bones ancestral ceremony
- razana ancestor veneration and fady ancestral taboos.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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