Mali Population

Mali at a glance

How Mali's population is changing

Mali's population is growing fast: +2.90% a year, which works out to about +730,719 people per year, or +2,001 a day. Births (39.5 per 1,000) and deaths (8.5 per 1,000) alone would give +3.10% a year; net migration removes about 48,019 people a year (−0.19%). Roughly one in every 326 people on Earth lives in Mali.

Population of Mali since 1960

In 1960, Mali had 5,402,550 people. By 2025 that was 25,198,821 — 4.7× larger. The fastest growth came between 2001 and 2011, when the population rose by 38%.

Mali from 1800 to 2100

Modelled estimates put Mali at about 1,403,398 people in 1800; the UN estimates 25,198,819 in 2025 (18× 1800) and projects 79,354,050 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 215% growth over the rest of this century.

Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.

Largest listed places in Mali

10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 25,198,821. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.

How Mali compares

Mali has almost the same population as Syria (25,620,427).

Rank	Country	Population	vs Mali
#56	North Korea	26,571,036	+5%	compare →
#57	Syria	25,620,427	+2%	compare →
#59	Burkina Faso	24,074,580	−4%	compare →
#60	Malawi	22,216,120	−12%	compare →

Compare Mali with any country →

Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.

Explore around Mali

Land neighbours (7)

• Algeria 47,435,312 · 1.9× the population · compare
• Ivory Coast 32,711,547 · 1.3× the population · compare
• Niger 27,917,831 · 1.1× the population · compare
• Burkina Faso 24,074,580 · about the same population · compare
• Senegal 18,931,966 · 1.3× smaller · compare
• Guinea 15,099,727 · 1.7× smaller · compare
• Mauritania 5,315,065 · 4.7× smaller · compare

Mali's 7 neighbours together hold 171,486,028 people — 6.8× Mali's population. The most populous is Algeria (47,435,312).

In its region

Mali is the 16th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 1.9% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.

Rankings featuring Mali

• Fastest-growing countries #14
• Highest birth rates #6
• Highest fertility rates #6
• Youngest populations (share aged 0–14) #6

Cities

Bamako, Sikasso, Ségou, Koutiala, Kayes, Gao, Kalaban Koro, Kati — all Mali's cities on the map.

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