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
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali, 1985–2020
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.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.1% | — |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +51.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | +59.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -9.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | +24.0% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -22.2% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -12.7% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 0.0% | -37.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +46.9% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +13.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +11.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +13.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +89.4% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 0.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.2%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 0.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mali changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +89.4% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1990 | +59.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 1989 | +51.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2013 | +46.9% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2012 | -37.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Mali
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3081 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4025 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 39.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.19 (2050)
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
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.