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Madagascar's area vs Rwanda's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Madagascar is 22.3 times bigger by total area compared to Rwanda: 226,756 sq mi vs 10,169 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Madagascar is 224,634 sq mi vs 9,525 sq mi for Rwanda — a 23.6 times difference in territory size.

  • Madagascar ranks 46/197 by total surface area vs 145/197 for Rwanda.
  • Madagascar occupies 0.39% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.02% for Rwanda.
  • 70.3% of Madagascar's area is agricultural land vs 76.3% in Rwanda.
  • Madagascar has 0.86% of the world's agricultural land area — Rwanda has 0.04%.
  • 21.3% of Madagascar is covered by forests, compared to 11.3% in Rwanda.
  • 0.31% of the world's forests are in Madagascar, and 0.007% are in Rwanda.

True size map comparison: Madagascar vs Rwanda

See how Madagascar and Rwanda compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Madagascar Rwanda
Total area 226,756
sq mi
10,169
sq mi
Size difference ratio 22.3 1
Total area rank 46/197 145/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.12% 0.005%
Land area 224,634
sq mi
9,525
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 23.6 1
Land area rank 44/197 146/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.39% 0.02%
Population 31,964,956 14,256,567
Population density 149.3 ppl/mi² 1,563 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Madagascar Rwanda
Forest area 47,839
sq mi
1,077
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 21.3% 11.3%
Forest area rank 48/196 151/196
World's forests share 0.31% 0.007%
Agricultural land area 157,896
sq mi
7,271
sq mi
Agricultural land share 70.3% 76.3%
Agricultural land area rank 26/194 120/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.86% 0.04%
Arable land 11,583
sq mi
4,475
sq mi
Arable land share 5.16% 47%
Arable land area rank 67/191 101/191
Permanent cropland 2,317
sq mi
1,305
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 1.03% 13.7%
Permanent cropland area rank 51/192 65/192
Water area 2,122
sq mi
644
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0.94% 6.33%
Water area rank 63/197 100/197
Roads length 19,660
mi
2,920
mi
Land borders length 0
mi
578
mi
Coastline length 3,000
mi
0
mi
Share of marine protected waters 1.3% n/a

Madagascar vs Rwanda size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/madagascar/rwanda | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Madagascar and Rwanda but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.