Madagascar Church Records

Africa Madagascar For information about records for non-Christian religions in Madagascar, go to the Religious Records page.

Church records
Research use: Church records are a primary source of birth, marriage, and death information in Madagascar. They identify names of parents, prove other relationships, and are very useful for linking generations.

Record type: Records of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Time period: 1820-present.

Contents: Baptisms – name of individual, dates of birth and baptism, name of parents. Marriages – name of couple and their fathers' names, dates and places of marriage, age of groom and bride and their birthplaces, names and residences of witnesses. Burials – name of the deceased, date and place of death and burial, age at time of death, marital status, cause of death, name of spouse.

Location: National Archives in Antananarivo, diocesan archives, and local churches.

Population coverage: Estimated to be 40% where the record is extant. The actual population coverage cannot be determined without ascertaining the extent to which this record exists and has been preserved.

Reliability: Excellent.