Plugs and voltage
Madagascar uses Types C and E sockets. Mains supply is 220 V at 50 Hz.
At 220 V, devices made only for 100–127 V (many American and Japanese hair dryers, curling irons and some shavers) will be damaged without a step-down converter. Chargers labelled “100–240V” work fine with just a plug adapter.
Money
Ar Malagasy Ariary MGA
Average in 2025: 1 USD = 4,530 MGA (World Bank). No daily reference rate is published for this currency by the ECB; check a live rate before exchanging.
Price level 29 (US = 100, 2025)
Everyday household prices in Madagascar are about 29% of US prices when converted at market exchange rates: cheaper than the median country (50). All countries
Language
- Malagasyofficial90%
- Frenchofficial27%
- Englishofficial18%
Bars show the share of the population that speaks each language (CLDR estimates).
Time
Madagascar is on UTC+3, with no daylight saving time.
Driving
Traffic in Madagascar drives on the right, so the steering wheel is on the left.
Public holidays in the next 12 months
16 national public holidays from 2 November 2026. Banks, offices and many shops close; regional holidays are not shown. Dates marked “estimated” follow a lunar calendar and can move by a day.
December 2026
- Republic Day
- Christmas Day
January 2027
- New Year's Day
March 2027
- Women's Day
- Easter Sunday
- Easter Monday
- Martyrs' Day
May 2027
- Labor Day
- Ascension Day
- Pentecost
- Pentecost Monday
- Mother's Day
June 2027
- Father's Day
- Independence Day
August 2027
- Assumption Day
November 2027
- All Saints' Day
Travel advisories
United States · State Department
Level 2 Exercise increased caution
Read the full advisory. Checked 2026-11-02.
United Kingdom · FCDO
No warnings The FCDO does not advise against travel to Madagascar.
Updated 2026-09-09. Read the full advice. Checked 2026-11-02.
Advisories are written for each government's own citizens and change without notice: read the original before you travel.
Other practical facts
- Calling code
- +261
- Internet domain
- .mg
- Measurement
- Metric
- Paper size
- A4
- Week starts on
- Monday
- Read more
- Wikipedia
More in Eastern Africa
Flag: Flag of Madagascar.svg, Public domain. Arms: Seal of Madagascar.svg, Public domain. Electricity: resolved by intl.life from three sources, see methodology.
