Mali Population: 20,047,091

Mali is a West African country, sharing its borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. It is a landlocked country, covering an area of over 1,240,000 km2. Huge extremes of habitats, vegetation, and avifauna are also seen in Mali. The official language is French, and over 80% of the population’s lingua franca is Bambara.

Largest Cities by Population in Mali 

Bamako has the highest population, followed by Sikasso, Mopti, and Koutiala.

CITY NAME POPULATION
Bamako 1,297,281
Sikasso 144,786
Mopti 108,456
Koutiala 99,353
Segou 92,552
Gao 87,000
Kayes 78,406
Markala 53,738
Kolokani 48,774
Kati 42,922
Bougouni 35,450
Timbuktu 32,460
Banamba 30,591
Bafoulabe 26,823
San 24,811
Koulikoro 23,919
Djenne 22,382
Yorosso 17,447
Kangaba 17,232
Sagalo 15,830

Mali Population History

The population of Mali in 1990 was just 8,449,913. Due to the high fertility rate prevalent in this country, Mali shows a 140% increase in its population if calculated for 30 years from now.

Year Population Yearly % Change Yearly Change Migrants (net) Median Age Fertility Rate Density (P/Km²) Urban Pop % Urban Population Country’s Share of World Pop World Population Global Rank
2020 20,250,833 3.02% 592,802 -40,000 16.3 5.92 17 44.00% 8,906,636 0.26% 7,794,798,739 60
2019 19,658,031 3.04% 580,282 -40,000 16 6.26 16 43.20% 8,493,036 0.25% 7,713,468,100 60
2018 19,077,749 3.05% 565,319 -40,000 16 6.26 16 42.40% 8,093,320 0.25% 7,631,091,040 61
2017 18,512,430 3.04% 546,987 -40,000 16 6.26 15 41.60% 7,708,268 0.25% 7,547,858,925 61
2016 17,965,443 3.02% 526,665 -40,000 16 6.26 15 40.90% 7,338,892 0.24% 7,464,022,049 62
2015 17,438,778 2.99% 477,885 -60,490 16 6.35 14 40.10% 6,985,593 0.24% 7,379,797,139 64
2010 15,049,353 3.33% 454,767 -20,165 16.2 6.7 12 36.10% 5,426,927 0.22% 6,956,823,603 65
2005 12,775,516 3.14% 365,814 -13,422 16.5 6.85 10 32.10% 4,103,334 0.20% 6,541,907,027 68
2000 10,946,445 2.69% 272,158 -28,390 16.6 6.95 9 28.40% 3,110,018 0.18% 6,143,493,823 72
1995 9,585,653 2.55% 227,148 -34,698 16.5 7.15 8 25.60% 2,450,930 0.17% 5,744,212,979 77
1990 8,449,913 1.53% 123,605 -98,796 16.5 7.15 7 23.40% 1,974,293 0.16% 5,327,231,061 79
1985 7,831,889 2.01% 148,353 -43,613 17.4 7.15 6 21.00% 1,645,712 0.16% 4,870,921,740 76
1980 7,090,126 1.81% 121,570 -35,000 17.9 7.15 6 18.50% 1,310,570 0.16% 4,458,003,514 77
1975 6,482,278 1.73% 106,647 -19,117 18.5 7.15 5 16.20% 1,052,952 0.16% 4,079,480,606 75
1970 5,949,045 1.33% 76,112 -19,647 18.8 7.1 5 14.30% 852,497 0.16% 3,700,437,046 74
1965 5,568,484 1.13% 60,950 -14,049 19.3 7 5 12.60% 702,069 0.17% 3,339,583,597 69
1960 5,263,733 1.13% 57,667 -9,814 19.5 6.95 4 11.10% 582,508 0.17% 3,034,949,748 71
1955 4,975,398 1.11% 53,394 -7,006 20.1 6.95 4 9.70% 482,207 0.18% 2,773,019,936 69

Mali Population forecast

It estimated that the population would reach 20.22 million by the end of 2020. According to the econometric models, the population is projected to trend around 20.79 million and 21.36 million in the upcoming years 2021 and 2022, respectively. The population is expected to reach 43,585,530 by the year 2050, which is a 115% increase in the current population.

Year Population Yearly % Change Yearly Change Migrants (net) Median Age Fertility Rate Density (P/Km²) Urban Pop % Urban Population Country’s Share of World Pop World Population Global Rank
2020 20,250,833 3.04% 562,411 -40,000 16.3 5.92 17 44.00% 8,906,636 0.26% 7,794,798,739 60
2025 23,415,891 2.95% 633,012 -40,000 17 5.92 19 47.80% 11,190,626 0.29% 8,184,437,460 59
2030 26,957,396 2.86% 708,301 -40,000 17.8 5.92 22 51.40% 13,849,850 0.32% 8,548,487,400 58
2035 30,819,218 2.71% 772,364 -40,000 18.6 5.92 25 54.70% 16,846,185 0.35% 8,887,524,213 56
2040 34,938,568 2.54% 823,870 -40,000 19.4 5.92 29 57.80% 20,182,154 0.38% 9,198,847,240 56
2045 39,212,640 2.34% 854,814 -40,000 20.4 5.92 32 60.80% 23,856,107 0.41% 9,481,803,274 51
2050 43,585,530 2.14% 874,578 21.5 5.92 36 63.80% 27,825,131 0.45% 9,735,033,990 49

Mali Demographics

The current population of Mali is 20,034,893, which represents 0.26% of the total world population. This can be stated that one person out of every 440 people in the world is a resident of Mali. It occupies the position 60 in the list of countries by population. The population density is predicted to be 17 persons per Km2, and 44% of the population is urban. The median age is 16.3 years, and the total life expectancy at birth is 60.54 years.

Mali Religion & Politics

The predominant religion in Mali is Islam. About 90% of Malians are adherents to Islam. Only 5% are adherents to Christianity, and the remaining follow indigenous or traditional animist beliefs. It is extremely rare to see atheism and agnosticism among the population.

Until the recent military coup, the political framework of Mali is a democratic republic with a semi-presidential representative. The President is the head of state and appoints the Prime Minister who holds the position as the head of government. The government exercises executive power.

Mali Economy

The economy of Mali is dependent on agricultural exports and gold mining for its revenue. Export of gold and cotton credits about 80% of the total export earnings. Only 80% of the population undertake fishing and farming whereas 10% remain nomadic. Currently, Mali is planning to invest in the extraction of iron ores to increase its economy.

Largest Countries in the World by Population

S.No Country Population (2020) World Population Share (%)
1 China 1,439,323,776 18.47%
2 India 1,380,004,385 17.70%
3 United States 331,002,651 4.25%
4 Indonesia 273,523,615 3.51%
5 Pakistan 220,892,340 2.83%
6 Brazil 212,559,417 2.73%
7 Nigeria 206,139,589 2.64%
8 Bangladesh 164,689,383 2.11%
9 Russia 145,934,462 1.87%
10 Mexico 128,932,753 1.65%