Madagascar: DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Madagascar's DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) rose US$4.33 on 2024 (from US$4,525 to US$4,530).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$130.4 and a typical year strayed about US$188.09 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$630.53 in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was US$268.43 in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$175.72 a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about US$5,222 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$100.25, against US$398.8 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Madagascar had the 12th highest value of the 207 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Madagascar in the 2025 ranking

• Guinea — 9th of 207: US$8,638
• Paraguay — 10th of 207: US$7,545
• Burundi — 11th of 207: US$5,336
• Colombia — 13th of 207: US$4,053
• Cambodia — 14th of 207: US$4,013
• Uganda — 15th of 207: US$3,676

What this measures

The DEC alternative conversion factor is the underlying annual exchange rate (the price of one country’s currency in relation to another country's currency) used for the World Bank Atlas method. As a rule, it is the official exchange rate reported in the IMF's International Financial Statistics. Exceptions arise where further refinements are made by World Bank staff. It is expressed in local currency units per U.S. dollar.

All 66 values

DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$1,058 (2025)
• Benin — US$581.93 (2025)
• Botswana — US$13.5 (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$581.93 (2025)
• Burundi — US$5,336 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$97.86 (2025)
• Cameroon — US$581.93 (2025)
• Central African Republic — US$581.93 (2025)
• Chad — US$581.93 (2025)
• Comoros

More financial sector data for Madagascar

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 358.35 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$4,530 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 8.38% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 16.28% (2024)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 17.77 trillion (2024)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 10.3 trillion (2024)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 16.48% (2024)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 21.72 trillion (2024)
• Broad money (% of GDP) — 27.29% (2024)
• Broad money to total reserves ratio

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Madagascar's DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$)?

US$4,530 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 9,075% from US$49.37 in 1960 (7.2% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$4,530 in 2025 and the lowest US$42.26 in 1980.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator PA.NUS.ATLS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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