| Languages of Madagascar | |
|---|---|
 People reading news in Antananarivo. | |
| Official | Malagasy, French |
| Recognised | English |
| Signed | Malagasy Sign Language |
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The Malagasy language, of Austronesian origin, is generally spoken throughout the island. The official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French. As a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Madagascar is a Francophone country, and in 2024, French is spoken by around a quarter of the population in Madagascar, i.e. 8,5 million people out of 32 million (26.59%).[1][2]
In the first Constitution of 1958, Malagasy and French were named the official languages of the Malagasy Republic.[3] Among the elites in large cities, French is spoken as a native language.[4]
- ^ "Accueil-Francoscope". ODSEF (Observatoire démographique et statistique de l'espace francophone de l'Université Laval) (in French). Laval, Québec. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
- ^ Richard, Marcoux. "Estimation des populations francophones dans le monde en 2022" (PDF). Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (in French). Retrieved 2023-01-14.
- ^ "Le malgache et le français sont les langues officielles de la République Malgache." Constitution, Titre I, Art. 2; Constitutional Law 14 October 1958.
- ^ Øyvind, Dahl (June 19, 2024). "Linguistic policy challenges in Madagascar" (PDF).