World Sites & Apps
Africa · #86 · 2025–2026

Madagascar: internet and everyday apps

Madagascar has about 6.5 million people online — a penetration rate of 20.3% and rank #86 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 9 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 6.5 million Penetration 20.3% World rank #86 Updated 2026-11-12
Language MalagasyFrançaisEnglish
TL;DR
  • Madagascar has roughly 6.5 million internet users (6,500,000 people) — about 20.3% of the population and rank #86 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Mobility, News, Payments and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Madagascar in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
6.5 million6,500,000 · #86
Penetration
20.3%#211
Population
32 million32,000,000 · #50
GDP
$18B#140
GDP growth
+4.3%#63
GDP per person
$550#213
Land area
587.0k km²#46
Capital
Antananarivo
Region
Africa
Official languages
Malagasy, French

How Madagascar goes online

In Antananarivo a lot of people do not open a search engine; they open Facebook. That is where the news, the job offers, the things for sale and the neighbourhood groups live. WhatsApp handles the conversations, and MVola sends a few ariary to a relative or settles a bill. The connection stays slow and expensive next to local wages, so pages get loaded once and left open, and everyone learns to work inside a small data bundle without complaining too much about it.

Around 20.3%. With a population of about 32 million and 6.5 million online, roughly 25.5 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 9 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

9 Most-used apps

Messaging

1 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 TikTok Video · ByteDance · 2016

Shopping

1 Most-used apps →
Jumia Shopping · Jumia Technologies · 2012

Mobility

1 Most-used apps →
Yassir Mobility · Yassir · 2017

News

1 Most-used apps →
BBC News · BBC（英国公共广播机构） · 1997

Payments

1 Most-used apps →
MVola Payments · Telma · 2010

Websites people in Madagascar actually use

11

The 11 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

Telecom3News2Banking2Transport1Mail1Utilities1Education1
Orange MadagascarTelecomorange.mgMobile operator site for credit, data plans and Orange Money. TelmaTelecomtelma.mgThe largest mobile operator in Madagascar. Airtel MadagascarTelecomairtel.mgThe third mobile operator. L'Express de MadagascarNewslexpress.mgLeading Malagasy daily covering politics, business and society. Midi MadagasikaraNewsmidi-madagasikara.mgDaily newspaper read for national news and regional reporting. MVolaBankingmvola.mgTelma mobile money app for transfers, bills and merchant payments. Central Bank of MadagascarBankingbanky-foibe.mgThe central bank and the issuer of the ariary. Air MadagascarTransportairmadagascar.comMadagascar's national carrier — domestic flights between Antananarivo, Nosy Be and the coast, plus regional routes. Madagascar PostMailpaositra.mgThe postal service. JIRAMAUtilitiesjirama.mgWater and electricity. University of AntananarivoEducationuniv-antananarivo.mgThe largest university.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Madagascar are online?

About 6.5 million (6,500,000 people). That works out to roughly 20.3% of the population, which puts Madagascar at #86 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Madagascar use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Mobility, News, Payments. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Madagascar?

WhatsApp dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Madagascar?

Around 20.3%. With a population of about 32 million and 6.5 million online, roughly 25.5 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Madagascar?

The everyday ones are L'Express de Madagascar, Midi Madagasikara, MVola, plus the other 11 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Madagascar: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/mg-en.html