Editing Demographics of Madagascar (section)

==Ethnicity==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2025}}
{{further|Malagasy peoples}}
{{see also|French people in Madagascar|Chinese people in Madagascar|Indians in Madagascar}}
[[File:Map of various tribes in Madagascar.jpg|thumb|200px|Distribution of major Malagasy tribes]]
The island of [[Madagascar]] is predominantly populated by people broadly classified as belonging to the [[Malagasy peoples|Malagasy]] [[ethno-linguistic]] group. This group is further subdivided a number of ethnic groups, often into the standard eighteen. In addition, communities of [[Indians in Madagascar|Indians]], [[Arabs]] and [[Somali people|Somalis]] in Madagascar have long been established on the island and have assimilated into local communities to varying degrees, in some places having long since become identified "Malagasy" ethnic groups, and in others maintaining distinct identities and cultural separation. More recent arrivals include [[French people in Madagascar|Europeans]] and [[Chinese people in Madagascar|Chinese]] immigrants.

Madagascar was probably uninhabited prior to [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] settlement in the early centuries AD. Austronesian (particularly [[Malay world|Malay]]) features are most predominant in the central highlands peoples, while coastal peoples are phenotypically more [[East Africa]]n, sometimes with minor Arab, Somali, European and Indian admixtures. The largest coastal groups are the [[Betsimisaraka people|Betsimisaraka]] (1,500,000) and the [[Tsimihety]] and [[Sakalava]] (700,000 each). Malagasy society has long been polarized between the politically and economically advantaged highlanders of the central plateaux and the people along the coast. For example, in the 1970s there was widespread opposition among coastal ethnics against the policy of "Malagasization" which intended to phase out the use of the French language in public life in favour of a more prominent position for the [[Malagasy language]], whose orthography is based on the Merina dialect. 

[[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indians]] in Madagascar descend mostly from traders who arrived in the newly independent nation looking for better opportunities. The majority of them came from the west coast of India known as [[Indians in Madagascar|Karana]] (Muslim) and [[Banians|Banian]] (Hindu). The majority speak [[Hindi]] or [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], although some other Indian languages are also spoken. {{As of|2007|alt=Nowadays}} the younger generations speak at least three languages, including French, Gujarati and Malagasy. A large number of the Indians in Madagascar have a high level of education, particularly the younger generation.{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}}

A sizeable number of [[Ethnic groups in Europe|Europeans]] also reside in [[Madagascar]], mostly of French descent.