Burkina Faso vs Mali: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Burkina Faso
49.4%
in 2020
Mali
47.1%
in 2020
Burkina Faso rank
209th
Mali rank
211th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
How they compare
Burkina Faso currently reports 49.4% against 47.1% in Mali, a difference of 2.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Mali ahead.
Burkina Faso ranks 209th and Mali ranks 211th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Burkina Faso averaged higher in 5 and Mali in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Burkina Faso | Mali | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 24.9% | 29.1% | 4.2% | Mali |
| 1960s | 25.8% | 29.9% | 4.1% | Mali |
| 1970s | 27.5% | 31.2% | 3.7% | Mali |
| 1980s | 32.7% | 31.7% | 1.0% | Burkina Faso |
| 1990s | 39.1% | 33.5% | 5.6% | Burkina Faso |
| 2000s | 46.3% | 38.6% | 7.6% | Burkina Faso |
| 2010s | 49.4% | 43.7% | 5.7% | Burkina Faso |
| 2020s | 49.4% | 47.1% | 2.3% | Burkina Faso |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Burkina Faso or Mali?
- Burkina Faso, at 49.4% against 47.1% in Mali as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Burkina Faso and Mali?
- 2.3%, with Burkina Faso ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Burkina Faso and Mali?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Burkina Faso and Mali rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Burkina Faso ranks 209th and Mali ranks 211th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.