80% of the world’s evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last 50 years, God’s church has grown exponentially in these areas.

These regions have tremendous mission sending potential to help bring the gospel to unreached peoples, but they currently send only 20% of the world’s cross-cultural missionaries!

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Total Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges to UPGs

Regional Access to UPGs

Religious Freedom

Prosperity

Current Sending Abroad

Mobilization Potential

Custom Mobilization Potential

Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges

Strategic Access

Religious Freedoms

Current Sending

This infographic provides a visual score for seven data points ranked on a 0 to 100 scale. Faded icons show scores for other countries on the mobilization index. See below for actual scores and country-specific insights.

ADDITION

FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY

INACCESSIBLE

LIMITED MISSION FORCE

DISTANT AND FOREIGN MISSION FIELD

THE WORLD IS THE MISSION FIELD

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Over 3 Million Evangelicals with Deep Roots and A Religious Freedom

Madagascar is currently home to approximately 3,127,006 evangelicals, making up 11% of the country's population. Nearly 53% of the population identifies with Christianity, and most of the remaining non-evangelical population is Catholic. [[3]]&nbsp;
Evangelical Protestantism was first brought to the nation by the London Missionary Society in 1818. The missionaries taught the gospel and literacy through a Malagasy Bible at the schools they had established. Later, when the nation was colonized by the French in 1894, Christianity in Madagascar saw great increases as religion began to be deeply intertwined with education, law, and politics.&nbsp;
Today, Malagasy evangelicals are free to practice religion without fear of government persecution. The Malagasy constitution provides for religious freedom and prohibits any discrimination. [[4]] Praise God for the long history of His church in Madagascar and for all He has made them to do!&nbsp; Despite a moderate number of evangelicals, we can praise God for over 3 million in this country and their access to millions more in their region!

No Cultural Bridges Data

Madagascar is not ranked on the Geert Hofstede Cultural Values Index, therefore we have no score to offer on how the nation might be bridged to the unreached.

Low Access is Not a Barrier the Lord Cannot Overcome

Madagascar has access to 454,000 unreached in-country and 76,200,000 regionally. Because the nation is predominantly Christian, this means that only 1.6% of the country is unreached. [[5]] As Madagascar is an island, it does not have multiple countries sharing its border, as most of its Mobilization Index counterparts have. This alone limits Malagasy evangelicals' access to the unreached.&nbsp;
Where many evangelicals in other countries would work alongside, live next to, or have easy access to unreached, Malagasy evangelicals will likely have to travel abroad to have meaningful relationships with a significant number of unreached.&nbsp;
Though Madagascar scores low for strategic access to unreached, this is not a barrier the Lord can not overcome. Malagasy evangelicals will simply have to travel farther distances than many other countries on the index.&nbsp;
Pray that the church would not see this distance as a hindrance to missions but rather use it as an opportunity to rely fully on the Lord and his provision for their journey. Pray for laborers to be sent from Madagascar to every tribe, tongue, and nation of the world.&nbsp;

According to Pew Research, Madagascar has low levels of religious restrictions and hostilities, with a score of 2.4. [[6]] Their constitution prohibits religious discrimination and provides equal workplace opportunity, regardless of religious affiliation. [[7]] &nbsp;&nbsp;
Praise God that mission mobilization and other Christian ministries are free to promote and carry out their work as they see fit; there are few governmental restrictions on Christianity in Madagascar! Please pray for wisdom for church leaders and ministries to cast a vision of loving those who are lost and reaching the ethnoreligious and Islamic population in the area.&nbsp;
&nbsp;Though this religious freedom does exist, Muslims born in the country continue to report that they experience discrimination when trying to acquire Malagasy citizenship, despite coming from generations of Madagascar residents. In the same vein, evangelical Protestants have reported discrimination in employment, especially those who took a Saturday Sabbath. [[7]]&nbsp;
Pew research scores the nation at 2.8 in government restrictions and 1.6 in social hostilities. This means that though there is a slight presence of both, Malagasy individuals are more likely to experience legal pushback from the government for their religious choices than they are to experience social outcasting, familial guilt, or persecution from nongovernmental organizations. Pray for our Malagasy brothers and sisters that they would have peace and wisdom in living amongst any religious violence that might occur.

Malagasy Missions Could Be Hindered by a Struggling Economy

Ranked at 136 out of 167, Madagascar scores low on the Legatum Prosperity Index when compared to other Mobilization Index countries. The country's economic prosperity has experienced great stability over the last decade, only fluctuating one rank. The greatest challenges Madagascar faces in its economic prosperity is its low scores in living conditions and market infrastructure. Their highest scores are in social capital and personal freedom. Regionally, Legatum ranks the nation as moderate compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries. [[8]]&nbsp;
This low prosperity could have a significant negative impact on mobilization efforts. Though the nation has stayed stable and is not declining in prosperity, as are many of its neighboring countries, its score still limits the ability of the church. Though the heart of the church could be turned to the unreached, it will be physically more difficult to support and launch missionaries when living conditions, education, and the economy are stricken by poverty.&nbsp;
Praise the Lord that Our worldly goods do not limit him! By no means does a low prosperity score mean that the church is unable to support or send missionaries to the unreached. However, it adds an obstacle that the church must prayerfully consider how to work around best. Pray that the Lord would be glorified through the missional efforts of the Malagasy church, despite prosperity barriers and economic decline.

.00001% of the Nation is Mobilized to the Unreached

Madagascar has around 510 missionaries, 450 serving cross-culturally in-country and 60 serving the unreached outside of Madagascar. It is a prayer goal of the Mobilization Index to see 0.1%, or 1 in 1,000, of a nation's evangelicals mobilized for missions to the unreached. With 60 sent abroad to the unreached, the nation currently sends .00001% of its evangelical population. If this prayer goal were to be met, the world would see an increase of 3,100 people sent out!&nbsp;
Much of Madagascar's lack of sending could be tied to their low access to unreached, as well as their low economic prosperity. It is more difficult for any evangelical to be dedicated to sharing the gospel with the unreached when it means uprooting their lives and moving out of their home country rather than simply speaking to their next-door neighbor. It is also difficult for any country to support and launch missionaries abroad when many are already living in poverty.
&nbsp;If 0.1% of their evangelicals were to be sent, it would be a massive move for the small island country of Madagascar! Pray that the Lord would raise up a wave of goers who are burdened for the gospel to reach every tribe, tongue, and nation beyond their island.&nbsp;
With over 3,100,000 evangelical believers, there is immense potential for a mission explosion within the country!

The Malagasy Church is Ripe for Mobilization!

The Malagasy church is home to over 3 million evangelicals that are providentially designed to play a specific role in God's great plan to show his beauty to all nations! In a nation that has very high religious freedom and regional access to over 72 million unreached peoples, God's hand is so obvious in the design of Madagascar.&nbsp;
With current low cross-cultural sending, Madagascar has an incredible untapped potential for mobilization! Imagine what the world would see if 0.1%, or even double or triple that, said yes to going to the unreached! Pray that the Malagasy church would begin to step into its role as a supporter and sender of cross-cultural workers.&nbsp;
An important factor in mobilization is a nation's ability to give, both to the church and to missionaries alike. Madagascar ranks extremely low on the World Giving Index, with a score of 6%, the second lowest score of all Mobilization Index countries. [[9]] This is important information when it comes to missionary sending, as Malagasy church members are not comfortable or able to give to the church. There is still a need to improve the sending and supporting of missionaries within the church infrastructure, but we can praise God for the generosity that is already present in the nation! List this concern up to the Lord and ask for wisdom and biblical guidance on how to best send and support missionaries through the Malagasy church.&nbsp;
Praise God that persecution in Madagascar is not a major factor of mobilization potential! While there is slight religious discrimination, the church is legally free to worship, and Christians can live without fear of safety concerns or governmental persecution, a blessing that Christians in many other nations do not have. &nbsp;&nbsp;
When we consider their prosperity rankings, religious freedom, and access to the unreached, we rank Madagascar's mobilization potential as moderate.

Obstacles:
<ul>
<li>Madagascar has low in-country access, as less than 2% of the nation is unreached. Malagasy evangelicals have moderate regional access at 72 million, yet must travel off of their island and to mainland Africa to physically reach those UPGs.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Low economic prosperity is an obstacle that hinders Madagascar's ability to financially support and physically send its members to the unreached.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:
<ul>
<li>The Malagasy church is religiously free to practice as they choose, without serious fear of persecution. This allows their members to focus their efforts on raising up missionaries and mobilize their members! What a God given opportunity that man countries do not have!</li>
<li>40% of Madagascar's population is under the age of 15. This gives the church a great opportunity to mentor these youths and raise up the next generations of goers and senders!</li>
</ul>

Pray:
<ul>
<li>For believers in-country to embrace their role as mobilizers and senders; that they would find the role God has prepared them for in the Great Commission.</li>
<li>For the Malagasy church to grow in their mindset of kingdom giving and Biblical generosity. If the nation's giving increases, so can its sending numbers! Pray that the Lord would provide the means and mindset for the church to give generously.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Praise:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Praise God that the majority of the island nation of Madagascar knows the good news of the Gospel! What a blessing to see so much of a nation chasing the Lord!</li>
<li>Praise the Lord for the stability of the Malagasy economic prosperity. Because of this, evangelicals can know what to expect from their church in terms of support, without fear of the nation's prosperity drastically fluctuating.</li>
</ul>

Madagascar Constitutional Religious freedom

PEW religious restriction numbers Myanmar

Official Country Name:Republic of Madagascar

Population:26,969,000

Region:East and Southern Africa

Government:Semi-Presidential Democratic Republic

Official Languages:Malagasy, Plateau

Religious Demographics:Christian ±54%, Evangelical ±11%, Muslim ±7%, Ethnoreligious ±42%

Madagascar