Mali Flag

Mali

Population

26,160,987

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
58th
Share of world
0.31%
Annual change
+733,4542.98%

Population of Mali

050M100M150M200M202626.2M2050 projection46.2M↑ 76% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 26,160,987. 2050 projection: 46,154,079.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Mali. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202625,932,2752.98%58
202525,198,8213.02%58
202021,713,8363.06%59
201921,068,4053.06%59
201820,442,0303.18%59
201719,813,0113.24%60
201518,593,0223.12%62
201015,945,1983.33%65
200513,538,6473.21%66
200011,559,2902.56%68

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Bamako is home to 5,163,564 people, 19.91% of Mali's population.

City population5M2M800K
Bamako 5.2MSikasso 505.9KKoutiala 330.9KKayes 295.5KMopti 226.3KKalabancoro 225.0KSegou 192.6KGao 188.0KKati 175.2KTombouctou 127.8K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Bamako5.2M19.91%
2Sikasso505.9K1.95%
3Koutiala330.9K1.28%
4Kayes295.5K1.14%
5Mopti226.3K0.87%
6Kalabancoro225.0K0.87%
7Segou192.6K0.74%
8Gao188.0K0.72%
9Kati175.2K0.68%
10Tombouctou127.8K0.49%

Mali by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Mali is home to an estimated 26,160,987 people, the 58th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Mali has a net population change of approximately 2,024 people per day, driven by 2,753 births, 585 deaths, and net emigration of 144 people.
Share of world
Mali makes up 0.31% of the world's population and 1.64% of Africa's.
Density
21.3 people per km² of land (55.0 per mi²), ranking 198th among countries and territories.
Urban living
32.21% of people live in urban areas.

Mali Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale95–99 years, male: 2795–99 years, female: 6590–94 years, male: 71690–94 years, female: 1,17885–89 years, male: 5,75185–89 years, female: 8,14880–84 years, male: 21,46180–84 years, female: 28,78975–79 years, male: 47,77275–79 years, female: 59,51070–74 years, male: 82,60270–74 years, female: 97,01065–69 years, male: 120,87665–69 years, female: 134,16160–64 years, male: 168,62760–64 years, female: 177,94655–59 years, male: 238,94655–59 years, female: 241,74050–54 years, male: 338,88150–54 years, female: 333,40745–49 years, male: 454,68145–49 years, female: 444,36540–44 years, male: 558,69640–44 years, female: 541,52835–39 years, male: 650,03435–39 years, female: 631,80730–34 years, male: 763,49030–34 years, female: 743,45025–29 years, male: 949,56925–29 years, female: 924,41720–24 years, male: 1,218,27020–24 years, female: 1,187,92515–19 years, male: 1,505,41915–19 years, female: 1,468,69210–14 years, male: 1,753,93910–14 years, female: 1,714,8185–9 years, male: 1,959,8865–9 years, female: 1,918,7020–4 years, male: 2,239,3100–4 years, female: 2,195,669100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–41M1M2M2M

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

16.9 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

61.1 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

50.44%

Female

49.56%

Life expectancy 59.7Life expectancy 62.6

Ethnicity

33.3%

Bambara

  • Bambara33.3%
  • Fulani (Peuhl)13.3%
  • Sarakole/Soninke/Marka9.8%
  • Senufo/Manianka9.6%
  • Malinke8.8%
  • Dogon8.7%
  • Other Malian6%
  • Sonrai5.9%
  • Bobo2.1%
  • Tuareg/Bella1.7%
  • from members of Economic Community of West Africa0.4%
  • Other0.3%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2018 est.

Religion

93.9%

Muslim, the largest religion

  • Muslim93.9%
  • Christian2.8%
  • None2.5%
  • animist0.7%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2018 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Mali United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. National Directorate of Statistics and Data Processing