What is the population of Mali in 2026?
Mali has a population of 25,198,821 people (2025 estimate), which is 58th in the world and about 0.30% of the global total.
Officially Republic of Mali
Population 2025
25,198,821
0.30% of world population
World Bank, 2025Annual Growth
+2.90%
+730,766 people a year
World Bank, 2025Density
19/km²
1,220,190 km² land area
World Bank, 2023Median Age
15.7 years
Life expectancy 60.7 years
Our World in Data, 2025About Mali
With a population of 25.2 million people and a median age of 15.7 years, Mali has a predominantly young demographic expanding at 2.9% annually. The country spans 1.22 million km² across West Africa, though its sparse 19 people per km² density reflects a largely rural population, with only 32% living in urban areas. A fertility rate of 5.5 births per woman contributes to rapid workforce growth, while life expectancy stands at 60.7 years.
The capital, Bamako, anchors the nation, which gained independence in 1960 and uses the West African CFA franc as currency. French serves as the official language. Economic output remains modest at $1,193 GDP per capita, reflecting limited development infrastructure across this landlocked country bordered by seven nations spanning from Mauritania and Senegal to the west through Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire.
This summary is AI-generated from the indicators on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Country Facts
- Capital
- Bamako
- Continent
- Africa
- ISO codes
- ML · MLI
- Demonym
- Malian
- Currency
- West African CFA franc (XOF Fr)
- State inception
- 1960
- Time zone
- UTC±00:00
- Driving side
- Right
- Calling code
- +223
- Internet TLD
- .ml
- Land neighbours
- 7
Languages
- French
Demographics
Economy
Health
Education
Environment
Infrastructure
Quality of Life
Geography
Military
Age & Gender Distribution
Population by five-year age band, UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Male Female
- Age 0–14
- 46.1%
- Age 15–64
- 51.5%
- Age 65+
- 2.4%
| Age band | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 100+ | 0 | 0 |
| 95-99 | 11 | 41 |
| 90-94 | 628 | 1,056 |
| 85-89 | 5,147 | 7,223 |
| 80-84 | 20,771 | 27,634 |
| 75-79 | 45,925 | 57,580 |
| 70-74 | 79,525 | 93,816 |
| 65-69 | 115,337 | 128,880 |
| 60-64 | 157,143 | 166,874 |
| 55-59 | 216,065 | 219,684 |
| 50-54 | 304,264 | 299,429 |
| 45-49 | 416,260 | 405,663 |
| 40-44 | 529,247 | 512,702 |
| 35-39 | 623,423 | 603,544 |
| 30-34 | 723,260 | 703,815 |
| 25-29 | 874,632 | 850,079 |
| 20-24 | 1,122,777 | 1,092,908 |
| 15-19 | 1,406,815 | 1,371,455 |
| 10-14 | 1,669,732 | 1,630,533 |
| 5-9 | 1,893,092 | 1,853,208 |
| 0-4 | 2,146,719 | 2,101,699 |
Population History & Projection (1950–2100)
Observed population to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 4,696,911 |
| 1960 | 5,402,550 |
| 1970 | 6,276,472 |
| 1980 | 7,530,515 |
| 1990 | 9,178,830 |
| 2000 | 11,559,290 |
| 2010 | 15,945,198 |
| 2020 | 21,713,836 |
| 2030 | 29,002,865 |
| 2040 | 37,413,643 |
| 2050 | 46,154,079 |
| 2060 | 54,787,469 |
| 2070 | 62,919,460 |
| 2080 | 69,994,175 |
| 2090 | 75,539,858 |
| 2100 | 79,354,048 |
How Mali Compares
Population against the ten most populous countries.
| Name | Population |
|---|---|
| India | 1.46B |
| China | 1.41B |
| United States | 341.8M |
| Indonesia | 285.7M |
| Pakistan | 255.2M |
| Nigeria | 237.5M |
| Brazil | 212.8M |
| Bangladesh | 175.7M |
| Russia | 143.5M |
| Ethiopia | 135.5M |
| Mali | 25.2M |
Major Cities in Mali
1 metropolitan area in our city dataset.
- Bamako2.93M · +4.95%
Countries Bordering Mali
7 land borders.
- Algeria47.4M · +1.32%
- Burkina Faso24.1M · +2.21%
- Guinea15.1M · +2.31%
- Ivory Coast32.7M · +2.41%
- Mauritania5.32M · +2.78%
- Niger27.9M · +3.22%
- Senegal18.9M · +2.30%
Mali Population FAQ
Is the population of Mali growing or shrinking?
Mali's population is growing at +2.90% per year, a change of roughly 730,766 people annually.
What is the capital of Mali?
The capital of Mali is Bamako.
What is the largest city in Mali?
Bamako is the largest metropolitan area in Mali, with about 2.93M people.
How densely populated is Mali?
Mali has 19/km² across 1,220,190 km² of land area.
What is life expectancy in Mali?
Life expectancy at birth in Mali is 60.7 years (2024).
What is the median age in Mali?
The median age in Mali is 15.7 years, meaning half the population is younger than that and half older.
Which continent is Mali in?
Mali is in Africa.