In 2021, Mali's population was an estimated 21.9 million[1][2], with an annual growth rate of 2.7%.[3] This figure can be compared to 4,638,000 in 1950.[4] The population is predominantly rural (68% in 2002), and 5–10% of Malians are nomadic.[5] More than 90% of the population lives in the southern part of the country, especially in Bamako, which has over 1 million residents.[5]
In 2007, about 48% of Malians were less than 15 years old, 49% were 15–64 years old, and 3% were 65 and older.[3] The median age was 15.9 years.[3] The birth rate in 2007 was 49.6 births per 1,000, and the total fertility rate was 7.4 children per woman.[3]
The proportion of the population aged below 15 in 2010 was 47.2%.[4] 50.6% of the population were aged between 15 and 65 years of age. 2.2% of the population were aged 65 years or older.[4]
Total population
Population aged 0–14 (%)
Population aged 15–64 (%)
Population aged 65+ (%)
1950
4 638 000
38.9
58.3
2.8
1955
4 928 000
40.1
57.4
2.5
1960
5 248 000
40.5
57.2
2.3
1965
5 597 000
41.5
56.2
2.3
1970
6 034 000
42.3
55.2
2.4
1975
6 604 000
43.3
54.1
2.6
1980
7 246 000
44.6
52.6
2.8
1985
8 010 000
45.8
51.3
2.9
1990
8 673 000
47.5
49.5
3.0
1995
9 825 000
47.4
49.9
2.8
2000
11 295 000
47.2
50.3
2.5
2005
13 177 000
47.1
50.6
2.3
2010
15 370 000
47.2
50.6
2.2
Structure of the population
Population pyramid 2016
Structure of the population (Census 01.IV.2009):[6]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
7 204 990
7 323 672
14 528 662
100
0-4
1 328 871
1 294 514
2 623 385
18.06
5-9
1 202 875
1 154 948
2 357 823
16.23
10-14
918 866
865 138
1 784 004
12.28
15-19
732 526
783 620
1 516 146
10.44
20-24
529 535
612 368
1 141 903
7.86
25-29
449 099
546 603
995 702
6.85
30-34
385 003
427 795
812 798
5.59
35-39
325 005
326 894
651 949
4.49
40-44
271 239
275 364
546 603
3.76
45-49
228 626
217 261
445 887
3.07
50-54
189 424
192 382
381 806
2.63
55-59
148 594
134 083
282 677
1.95
60-64
127 557
123 461
251 018
1.73
65-69
88 292
77 082
165 374
1.14
70-74
67 319
66 063
133 382
0.92
75-79
40 904
36 197
77 101
0.53
80+
41 992
43 602
85 594
0.59
unknown
129 213
146 297
275 510
1.90
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0-14
3 450 612
3 314 600
6 765 212
46.56
15-64
3 386 658
3 639 831
7 026 489
48.36
65+
238 507
222 944
461 451
3.18
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2018) (Projections considering also the results of the 2009 Population Census.):[7]
The Tuaregs traditionally have opposed the central government. Starting in June 1990 in the north, Tuaregs seeking greater autonomy led to clashes with the military. In April 1992, the government and most opposing factions signed a pact to end the fighting and restore stability in the north. Its major aims are to allow greater autonomy to the north and increase government resource allocation to what has been a traditionally impoverished region. The peace agreement was celebrated in 1996 in Timbuktu during an official and highly publicized ceremony called "Flamme de la Paix"--(peace flame).
Historically, interethnic relations throughout the rest of the country were facilitated by easy mobility on the Niger River and across the country's vast savannahs. Each ethnic group was traditionally tied to a specific occupation, all working within proximity to each other, although the distinctions were often blurred.
The Bambara, Malinké, Sarakole, Dogon and Songhay are farmers; the Fula or Fulani, Maur, and Tuareg are herders, while the Bozo are fishers. In recent years this linkage has shifted considerably, as ethnic groups seek nontraditional sources of income.
Europeans in Mali
People of European origin form a small minority in the country. They include those of mixed European and African descendant, as well as those of full European background. The latter includes the French, as well as the Spanish, Irish, Italian and Portuguese origins. Some of them descend from the Arma people (1% of the nation's population). They mainly live in Bamako, Sikasso, Kalabancoro, Koutiala, Ségou, Kayes, Kati, Mopti, Niono, Gao, San, Koro, Bla, Bougouni, Mandé, Baguineda-Camp, Kolondiéba, Kolokani, and others.[11]
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events in Mali is not complete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.[12]
Mali had an estimated net migration rate of –6.6 migrants per 1,000 people in 2006.[15] About 3 million Malians are believed to reside in Côte d'Ivoire and France. Conversely, according to a 2003 estimate, Mali hosts about 11,000 Mauritanians; most are Fulani herders who routinely engage in cross-border migration. In addition, there are several thousand refugees from Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in Bamako and other urban areas of Mali.[5]
Demographic statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.[16]
One birth every 37 seconds
One death every 3 minutes
One net migrant every 13 minutes
Net gain of one person every 51 seconds
The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[17] unless otherwise indicated.
Although each ethnic group speaks a separate language, nearly 80% of Malians communicate over ethnic borders in Bambara, which is the common language of the marketplace. French is the country's official language and is spoken somewhat by 30% of Malians.
Mali's health and development indicators rank among the worst in the world. In 2000 only 62–65 percent of the population was estimated to have access to safe drinking water and only 69 percent to sanitation services of some kind; only 8 percent was estimated to have access to modern sanitation facilities. Only 20 percent of the nation’s villages and livestock watering holes had modern water facilities.[5]
There were an estimated 140,000 cases of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) reported in 2003, and an estimated 1.9 percent of the adult population was afflicted with HIV/AIDS that year, among the lowest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (see also HIV/AIDS in Africa).[5] In the same year, there were 12,000 AIDS deaths. The infant mortality rate is 69.5 deaths/1,000 live births (75.3/1,000 among males and 63.5/1,000 among females) (2017 est.). Life expectancy at birth is 60.3 years (58.2 years among males and 62.5 years among females) (2017 est.).
In the 2000–01 school year, the primary school enrollment rate was 61% (71% of males and 51% of females). The primary school completion rate is also low: only 36 percent of students in 2003 (and lower for females). The majority of students reportedly leave school by age 12. In the late 1990s, the secondary school enrollment rate was 15% percent (20% of males and 10% of females).[5]
According to United States government estimates, the adult literacy rate (defined as those over age 15 who can read and write) was 46.4 percent for the total population in 2003 (53.5 percent for males and 39.6 percent for females). According to United Nations sources, however, the literacy rate is actually much lower—only 27–30 percent overall and as low as 12 percent for females, among the lowest rates in Africa.
^For an introduction to the culture of the Azawagh Arabs, see Rebecca Popenoe, Feeding Desire — Fatness, Beauty and Sexuality among a Saharan People. Routledge, London (2003) ISBN0-415-28096-6
