Mali Population 2023 (Live)

According to current projections, Mali’s population is expected to grow for the rest of the century. Mali’s population is currently at about 20.25 million people and is expected to surpass 50 million by 2058 and increase to almost 80 million by 2099. This means that Mali’s population will almost quadruple over the next 80 years.

Mali’s population is increasing at a rate of 3.02%, which has been about the average since 2000. This added about 593,000 people to the population from 2019 to 2020.

Mali’s high fertility rate of 5.92 births per woman is one of the highest in the world. This fertility rate keeps the population very young, with a median age of 16.3 years, and is the main cause of the rapid population increase.

Mali Area and Population Density

The west African country of Mali covers 478,800 square miles (1,240,000 square kilometers) of area, almost all of which is land. Mali completely landlocked and is bordered by Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niamey, and Algeria. It is the 8th largest nation in Africa. Calculated with the 2019 population of 19,768,861 citizens, the population density of Mali is 41.1 people per square mile (15.9 people per square kilometer), making it the 176th most densely populated country in the world.

Largest Cities in Mali

Roughly a third of the population in Mali live in urban areas, and there are a few sizable cities that house these citizens. The capital city of Bamako is by far the largest with a population of just over 2 million. The city is located in a more fertile part of the country along the Niger River, where agriculture is able to feed a city of this size. There are no other cities with populations near this size, but there are several smaller cities scattered throughout the country, like Sikasso, Kalabancoro, Koutiala, and Segou - all of which have populations under 300,000.

Mali is a large, landlocked country in West Africa with more than 1.24 million square kilometers (480,000 square miles) of land. In 2012, an armed conflict broke out and Tuareg rebels took control, declaring secession of a new state, Azawad. While it was recaptured, negotiations are expected to take place.

Mali Demographics

The people of Mali are comprised of several sub-Saharan ethnic groups. The largest is the Bambara, accounting for 37% of the population. While the official language of Mali is French, 80% of people speak Bambara and there are at least 40 African languages in use. The Bambara, Sonike, Khassonke and Malinke are part of the larger Mande group, which accounts for half of the country's population. Other large ethnic groups include the Fula (17%), Voltaic (12%), Songhai (6%) and the Tuareg and Moor (10%).

Mali Religion, Economy and Politics

Mali is considered an Islamic society, with over 90% of the population practicing Islam. Most Muslim people in Mali are Sunni, but there are also Ahmadiyya and Shia communities present. The small non-muslim population is split pretty evenly between Christians, and those practicing indigenous beliefs.

The economy in Mali is largely based in rural agriculture, which occupies 70% of their workforce, and their economy is doing very poorly. Mali is both one of the 10 poorest countries in the world, as well as on a list of 37 very poor, and also very indebted countries, and they rely heavily on foreign aid.

Mali Population History

Mali was considered an empire until around the 14th century when the Songhai Empire took control of the gold trade in the important trading city of Timbuktu. Moroccans took the land from the Songhai in the late 16th century. The French advanced on Mali in the 19th century, beginning religious wars in the area. The French gained total control in 1898, and the country was called French Sudan. Mali became a free, socialist state in 1960, and later became a democracy in the 1990s.