Tap water in Madagascar

Not safe to drink

This reflects the CDC's travel health guidance for Madagascar; no WHO coverage figure is published for this country. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Madagascar.

Numbeo

26.56/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Low”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

It is not safe to drink water from taps anywhere in Madagascar – including the most expensive hotels. Bottled water (Ar1800 to Ar4000) is available throughout the country. If you can get clear water from a tap or well, water-purifying tablets are a good option.

To save on plastic, consider investing in a portable water filter/steriliser such as SteriPen (about US$100) or LifeStraw (about US$30).

Avoid ice in drinks without first asking if it’s been made from filtered water.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 898$ a year in Madagascar, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in Madagascar

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in Africa