Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali

Mali: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.2%
Change on year
up 89.4%
World rank
129th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 2012
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali, 1985–2020

0.050.10.150.21985200220201985: 0.059 %1989: 0.089 %1990: 0.142 %1991: 0.139 %1992: 0.126 %1993: 0.123 %1994: 0.12 %1995: 0.149 %1996: 0.146 %1997: 0.142 %1998: 0.139 %1999: 0.135 %2000: 0.131 %2001: 0.128 %2002: 0.124 %2003: 0.096 %2004: 0.084 %2005: 0.089 %2006: 0.086 %2007: 0.083 %2008: 0.08 %2009: 0.079 %2010: 0.076 %2011: 0.074 %2012: 0.046 %2013: 0.068 %2014: 0.077 %2015: 0.085 %2016: 0.093 %2017: 0.091 %2018: 0.103 %2019: 0.1 %2020: 0.189 %

Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali is 0.2%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

That represents a change of up 89.4% on the previous year and up 147.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali peaked at 0.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2012.

That places Mali 129th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1990s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 10
2000s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 10
2010s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 10
2020s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1

Countries ranked near Mali

  1. 126 New Zealand 0.2% compare
  2. 127 Moldova 0.2% compare
  3. 128 Cape Verde 0.2% compare
  4. 130 Canada 0.2% compare
  5. 131 Nicaragua 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Mali

All data for Mali →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali was 0.2% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Mali?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2020.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Mali?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2012.
How does Mali rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Mali ranks 129th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Mali?
Over the last ten years it is up 147.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mali data come from?
The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.