(female 3,231,647; male 3,265,715)
15-64 years: 50% (female 3,511,699; male 3,413,564)
65 years and over: 3% (female 225,205; male 214,495) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.18% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 44.82 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 12.99 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 86.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.45 years
male: 52.47 years
female: 56.48 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.62 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective: Malagasy

Ethnic divisions: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo),
Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry -
Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian,
Creole, Comoran

Religions: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%

Languages: French (official), Malagasy (official)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 80%
male: 88%
female: 73%

Labor force:
total workers: 4.9 million
workers not receiving money wages: 4.7 million (96% of total labor
force); note - 4.3 million workers are in subsistence agriculture
wage earners: 175,000 (3.6% of total work force)
wage earners by occupation: agriculture 45,500, domestic service
29,750, industry 26,250, commerce 24,500, construction 19,250, service
15,750, transportation 10,500, other 3,500 (1985 est.)

@Madagascar:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
conventional short form: Madagascar
local long form: Republique de Madagascar
local short form: Madagascar
former: Malagasy Republic

Digraph: MA

Type: republic

Capital: Antananarivo

Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Antananarivo, Antsiranana,
Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliary

Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960)

Constitution: 19 August 1992 by national referendum

Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional
Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Albert ZAFY (since 9 March 1993); election
last held on 10 February 1993 (next to be held 1998); results - Albert
ZAFY (UN